Unholy Matrimony
by A Mere Servant of God
Summary: After the annual Jump City Carnival, strange things start happening in Titans Tower...and first and foremost...Beast Boy and Raven are MARRIED! RobStar, BBRae...? Original idea belongs to Totentanz.
1. Unholy

And I live! Although knowing my update patterns, not for long. At any rate, welcome to the fan fiction Unholy Matrimony! Before we begin, I would like to give credit where credit is due: Totentanz, who came up with the original idea for this story and gave me permission to use the premise! Thanks a bunch!

That said, I'd like to warn you of something: This is nto going to be a fluffy fic. That does not mean there won't be fluffy moments (It also doesn't mean there will be fluffy moments), but this will not be, in general, a fluffy fic.

Another warning: This story isn't all about Beast Boy and Raven. Yes, they are the main characters, and they shall be the most focused upon, but that does not mean I am going to make out other characters to be nonexistantial, as you shall see in this chapter.

And speaking of "this chapter", a final warning: not all the chapters are going to be this big, more than likely. Still, this one is, and more than likely another one shall be eventually.

So, having said all that, read and enjoy!

* * *

"WOO-HOO!" Cyborg shouted. "IT'S PARTY TIME!" 

The Titans had had a relatively criminal-free week, and were ready to relax. And where better to relax than at a noisy, brightly-lit, cotton-candy smelling, creepy-in-the-area-of-clowns CARNIVAL?

Well, that was Beast Boy's logic, anyway. And it had a certain logic to it, if you enjoy that kind of thing. Raven, of course, did not. But she agreed to come along anyway, for one reason and one reason only: Raven loves funnel cakes like Cyborg loves waffles. And that is saying something.

"Now, where should I start?" Cyborg asked himself, eyes wide in order to take it all in. "The games? The roller coaster? The food stands? The roller coaster? Woah, better get a hold of myself, I'm starting to repeat myself! Ah, well who cares? It's JUMP CITY CARNIVAL NIGHT!"

Unbeknowst to Cyborg, a nearby carnival worker slowly edged his right hand towards the mace in his pocket. Of course, before the guy got a chance to use it and traumatize several kids standing nearby for life by seeing their hero get beat up by a fat dude in a jumpsuit with a spray-bottle, Cyborg ran off, giggling like a madman.

"O...kay..." said Robin, summing up the feelings of everyone in the general vicinity. "But he does have a point!" And here he turned to the Titans. "We're at the Jump City Carnival, and the possibilities are nigh-on endless! What do you guys want to do first?"

"Robin," said Starfire, grabbing onto his arm, "I believe, from my observance of last year's carnival, that it would be appropriate, since we are after all now the 'boyfriend and girlfriend', for us to go onto..." and here she leaned in _close_ to Robin, eyes half-lidded, her voice taking on a tone you normally don't imagine Starfire using, "... the Tunnel of Love?"

There was a long silence, made even creepier by the music from the nearby merry-go-round.

"See you guys later!" Robin suddenly said, grabbing a giggling Starfire's arm and running off in the general direction of _that_ ride.

Another few moments of semi-silence.

"Okay, I could've gone my whole life without seeing that..." said Raven.

"Eh, I've seen worse," said Beast Boy. "So, you wanna stick around and watch my ride?"

"No thanks," said Raven. "I only came here for the funne...wait, _your_ ride?"

"Yeah!" said Beast Boy. "I'm gonna morph into different animals at different times, and go swimming, and running, and flying, and give the kids some free rides!"

"How sweet," said Raven, sarcasm shining through. "Have you checked to make sure that's safe?"

"Yes!" said Beast Boy.

"How did you do that?"

"Ran the plan past Cyborg!"

"And Cyborg was doing...what at this time?" asked Raven.

"Playing video games."

Another spooky carnival music interlude.

"This isn't such a good idea, is it?" asked Beast Boy.

"I think I just saved a bunch of kids' lives," deadpanned Raven.

"Well...there's always Plan B!" said Beast Boy, brimming with new confidence.

"Dare I ask?" monotoned Raven.

"The much-less-thrilling horsey rides!" said Beast Boy, morphing into a horse. He gave a quick snort. Little kids instantaneously gathered around Beast Boy as a pen with a gate and some straw on the floor along with a sign that said "FREE Rides on Beast Boy!" appeared from nowhere. Beast Boy gave a horse-smile.

"Yeah..." said Raven, in even more of a flat tone than usual. "Have fun with that." And she turned and walked towards the food stands.

Beast Boy gave another snort, this one nowhere near as friendly. The little kids didn't seem to notice, probably because they were breaking the sound barrier with nothing but their vocal cords while they pushed and shoved each other to be the first ones on. Beast Boy put the smile back on his face, although he wasn't feeling the same way on the inside. He picked up one of the little kids by his shirt, setting him gently on his back. The little guy laughed and giggled as the others groaned and "aww"ed. Beast Boy began a slow trot around the pen, thinking of his teammate Raven...

_-Stupid Raven!-_

Not in the romantic way, as you might have guessed.

_-I try and give these kids a fun, free ride at the carnival with their favorite Titan, and Raven doesn't even care! Alright, maybe the "BB's Ride O' Thrills' was a stupid idea, but this horsey ride is genius! I'm making these kids happy, and Raven doesn't even care about anything except her stupid funnel cake!- _

"Faster! Faster!" said the kid on the green horse's back. Beast Boy, in spite of his anger, couldn't help but chuckle inwardly as he slowly sped up his trot...then he resumed with his anger.

_-I mean seriously! What is her deal? Why can't she recognize when I do something good? It's not like I want a medal or anything, but after all those times I messed up and fell on my face, all those times SHE was there to point out every single one of my shortcomings...-_

The horse gave a small sigh, frowning now for a split second before putting on his mask of merriment. The kids, once again, didn't notice, but even so it is a sad thing to see a horse frown or to hear one sigh.

_-Always there to point out my shortcomings...-_ he thought, _-But never there to compliment me when I do something right...- _And something occurred to him._ -She must be depressed or something, if she can't appreciate the fact I'm making these kids happy! Oh, man...-_

And so Beast Boy, who had always been taught to look at the situation form the other person's point of view but hadn't put it into practice until now, felt his anger melt into a wave of concern for his friend.

Or, at least, that's what he thought...

**0 0 0**

"Woah, you're...Raven, aren't you?" said the teenage boy working the snack stand.

"Did the gray skin give it away?" said Raven with a perfectly straight face.

"Um...sorry..." said the kid, sweatdropping as he rubbed the back of his head. "It's just...we get a lot of fanboys and fangirls at the carnival, so sometimes we don't realize who exactly we're talking to until the last second..."

"That's nice," said Raven, uncaring. "One funnel cake, quickly."

"Um, right! Just a second!" said the kid, before a flurry of activity occurred inside the stand. Two seconds later, a perfectly formed funnel cake appeared before Raven, fat, sugar, and all. "Sorry about the wait! That'll be $1.50!"

Raven reached into her pocket, taking out her wallet and quickly pulling out the exact change needed, which she had prepared ahead of time. "No, I'm sorry. I'm a little irritated. Carnivals...aren't exactly my thing. Bright lights, loud music...pointless."

The carnival kid was inclined to disagree, but held his tongue for fear Raven would do something a bit more drastic than snap at him if he got her irritated again. Thusly, he instead said: "Yeah, I understand what you mean." He quickly opened the cash register, placing the money just handed to him, by Raven, inside. "Have a nice night!...And, thanks for saving the city so many times..."

"You're welcome," said Raven, simply, before walking away.

-_Wait until Vanessa hears about this!-_ thought the teen, wiping his forehead free from perspiration before resuming his minimum-wage duties. _-Although I should probably leave the part out about what she said about carnivals...Vanessa would get angry at Raven, and then...yipes.-_ He shook a little, causing the cherry flavoring he was pouring on a snow cone to splatter onto his new sweater. _-Oh, c'mon...-_

Meanwhile, as Raven walked towards a nearby bench, she began to think about a certain green shape-shifter...

_-Beast Boy...could he be any more childish?-_

Obviously, her thoughts were also not of the romantic sort.

_-His thing about giving those kids free rides on his back was, admittedly, thoughtful, but like all of Beast Boy's plans, it contained a fatal flaw: everything at this carnival is already free for little kids! Besides, I don't see how anyone, even a toddler, could get any amusement out of getting saddle-less saddle sores by riding around a twenty-foot pen...not to mention all the trouble we'd get in if any of those kids fall off...and knowing Beast Boy, that's happened at least six times by now.-_

Raven sat down, placing the complimentary plastic fork into the cake, slicing a small section off with its edge, and placing it into her mouth...

Raven actually gave out a soft, contented moan at the taste of funnel cake in her mouth...she had to admit one thing: as much as she hated the Jump City Carnival, she _loved _its funnel cake.

_-Although I REALLY wish it wasn't so fattening...-_ she thought, looking down at herself and imagining how long it was going to take to lose the weight put on by the sugar coated, fried dough. Deciding it was worth it, she shrugged and took another bite, her criticisms of Beast Boy forgotten...

...But of course, not forever.

**0 0 0**

"Oooooh...my stomach..." said Cyborg.

Jump City had tried something new at this year's carnival: a hot dog eating contest. And Cyborg being, well, Cyborg, he had decided to enter.

He quickly regretted it after finding out the sweaty, fat dude from the Mega Meaty Meat incident was in the competition, too.

"What's the matter, tin can?" said the obese guy, shoving three hot dogs in his mouth and swallowing, "Afraid of a little pig intestine? Ha ha ha!"

_-Being reminded of what this stuff is made of does not help my stomach, thank you very much!- _Cyborg thought, resisting the urge to...

"HURMPH!"

Needless to say, he wasn't resisting too well.

_-No way...-_ he thought. _-I am the eating CHAMP! There is no way I'm gonna lose to some guy who obviously ain't had a shower since he was born, and...-_

"CHOMPCHOMPCHOMPCHOMPCHOMPCHOMP!"

_-...and who obviously doesn't require air to survive...aw, dang...-_ But even after this newest (disturbing) revelation, Cyborg stood his ground, picking up a plate of hot dogs and almost _drinking_ it. He gave off a quick "Ha! Who's scared now?" to the fat man.

The fat dude looked over, putting another hot dog or six in his mouth. "Araganagonin!" he declared.

"...I don't have a clue what you just said," said Cyborg, "But you are going DOWN!"

And the fight began anew...

CRANGONGLE!

...okay, that's just wrong.

**0 0 0**

"I am most sorry, Robin..." apologized Starfire as she and Robin walked away from the Tunnel of Love. "If I had known that they were going to take pictures, I would have never suggested we ride upon-"

"It's not your fault, Starfire..." said Robin, trying to make sure this topic was never brought up in conversation again. "It was that stupid guy who tipped off the paparazzi's fault, not to mention the paparazzi himself's fault.."

"The...whose?" asked Starfire.

"The paparazzi...the guy with the camera," answered Robin.

"Oh..." said Starfire, understanding...kind of. After all, she didn't know _why_ he'd had the camera...

Robin guessed what she was thinking. "Yeah...most likely he'll take those pictures and sell them to a magazine...and that magazine will take those pictures, put them up for everyone to see and make up some stupid story about us..."

Starfire gasped. "That is horrible!" Then, she gave a hesitant look back. "But...was it really necessary, evil as their intentions were, to hang them upside down in such an uncomfortable manner?"

"I wouldn't have if he'd just handed the film over..." replied Robin. "But nooooo, he had to wirelessly beam it straight to whatever sleazy corporation will be showcasing those pictures tomorrow morning..."

"So...you blame him for your actions?"

"Heh...you're right, I shouldn't," admitted Robin. "I was just...embarrassed that all of Jump City is going to see me in that kind of situation with my shirt turned inside out and my cape on backwards..."

"Um...yes..." said Starfire, blushing. "I am sorry for that as well..."

Robin smiled. "Actually, Starfire, I didn't mind that part too much..."

**0 0 0**

Beast Boy, still in horse form, gently sat down the little girl who had just been riding on his back. Instantly, a chorus of "Me Next!" and "My turn!" went up, followed by a chorus of "Aww"s when Beast Boy changed back.

"Sorry, little guys!" he said. "But even superheroes need a break every now and then. But I'll try my best to be back later...right now, there's something important I have to do..."

"Be back soon!" and other such phrases the kids cried as Beast Boy ran off, giving a little wave back with his hand before focusing entirely on his new goal.

**0 0 0**

CHOMPSNARLBITECHEW

MUNCHCRUNCHGULPSMACK

And the eating contest raged on. Both Cyborg and the fat dude had turned an unfortunate shade of green, but neither of them was about to give up. The crowd was chanting, a good three quarters of it in fact, the following phrase:

GO CYBORG GO CYBORG GO CYBORG EAT 'EM UP!

Both contestants had begun to slow down long ago, but both were still eating faster than thought physically possible. The contest was neck-and-neck, and it was obvious that no one was going to give in. This meant one of two things:

A) One of the contestants was about to lose consciousness.

B) The hot dogs were going to run out.

And after ten more seconds of chanting, it looked like option A would be the correct answer. Both contestants were hunched over, barely able to stay up. Cyborg moved first, reaching his hand slowly, ever so slowly, towards another hot dog...the audience held its breath...

Cyborg's hand fell.

Cyborg weakly looked up to see the fat guy reaching for another hot dog as well. Cyborg's opponent was more successful than he, bringing the hot dog up to his mouth and taking four small (compared to earlier) bites and leaving just a little bit of the hot dog. He swallowed.

Cyborg looked up in horror, unable to even murmur out the word "No..." the fat guy brought the hot dog's last bit all the way up and opened his mouth wide...

Several seconds passed as the fat man tried to place the last little bit of hot dog in his mouth. He trembled, and shuddered, and slowly his hand moved towards his lips. Finally, the hot dog reached his mouth, and he began to close it.

Another second passed.

And another.

And another.

A small groan escaped from the fat man's lips as his eyes rolled back in his head. His hand, still clutching the piece of hot dog, fell onto the table, closely followed by his head and body.

Another second passed as a doctor ran on stage.

Another couple seconds.

"He has a pulse," said the doctor. "He'll be fine, so long as we get him to a hospital."

The audience let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright, Cyborg!" shouted the farmer in charge of the event, walking onto the stage. "Warren's technically ahead of you right now, but you can change that! All you need to do to win is eat one hot dog!"

Cyborg slowly moved his head, still lying on the table, to look at the piece of meat in a bun. He gulped. He slowly moved his hand towards the dog again, sweating from the effort. He managed to get his hand around the dog, and slowly drag said hand towards his face, lifting up his head and arm slightly, and opened wide...

He closed his non-mechanical eye shut tight in mental anguish. _-I...I can't...it's too _much_...-_

And then, from the crowd, he heard an incredible noise...

People. Just a few in number, but that number was slowly growing. People were chanting again...but it was a different chant this time.

"One hot dog...one hot dog...one hot dog...one hot dog..."

The number steadily grew, until the entire crowd was chanting for him. Cyborg slowly lifted his head. _-These people look up to me...-_ thought Cyborg, looking down at the hot dog in his hand._-This is about more than a hot dog eating contest...this is about their hero taking on a challenge before their eyes...and they want me to win...I can't let them down.-_

Cyborg suddenly smiled. "Alright, hot dog!" he shouted, pounding the table. "You are going DOWN!"

The crowd cheered as Cyborg slowly, but with determination, brought the hot dog to his mouth, opened wide, and, amazingly...

...shoved the entire thing in.

The audience went wild with cheering and applause, and-

"HOLD IT!" shouted the farmer, raising his hand for silence. "He has to _eat_ the dog. That means put it in his mouth AND swallow it!"

The audience turned to Cyborg again, watching him intently. Cyborg smirked, but several took note of the fact that he was chewing_slowly_. Finally, after several seconds, Cyborg gave a great 'GULP'.

The farmer walked over to Cyborg, as the audience watched with absolute silence. Cyborg opened his mouth, and the farmer peered inside from several angles. Finally, the farmer turned towards the audience, lifted Cyborg's left hand in the air, and shouted:

"The winner of the First Annual Jump City Hot Dog Eating Contest is CYBORG, of the TEEN TITANS!"

And as Cyborg stood up, beaming in the face of thunderous applause and congratulations, he gave a mighty shout:

"BOO-YAH!" And the cheers grew even louder.

But, of course, on the inside, he was thinking...

_-I don't care how much Beast Boy makes fun of me, I'm having tofu bacon with my waffles tomorrow morning...-_

**0 0 0**_  
_

"Alrighty, then!" said Beast Boy to the kid working the stand Raven had been at not twenty minutes ago, "I'll have two funnel cakes, please!"

"Sure thing!" said the teenage boy, happy to serve a Titan a little less...irritable than Raven. As quick as a flash, he grabbed the necessary materials, fried the dough, sprinkled on the sugar and put two plates and two forks and two funnel cakes down in front of Beast Boy. "That'll be $3.00!"

"Thanks!" said Beast Boy, getting out the cash. "Wait...only three bucks?"

"Um, yeah..." said the kid, blushing. "I'm, uh, not supposed to do this, but I'm giving you a discount 'cause, y'know, you're a Titan and all..."

"Oh! Thanks a bunch, dude!" said Beast Boy, handing the money over.

"No way, man, thank you," said the cashier as he put the money away. Beast Boy turned and started looking for any trace of...something. "Um, what are you doing, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I'm looking for Raven," said Beast Boy, without turning around.. "She seems a bit down, and she loves funnel cakes, so I figured I'd get her one, and myself another, and I could sit down with her and hopefully cheer her up!"

"Heh, that's cool of you," said the cashier. "Well, good luck finding her."

"Thanks!" said Beast Boy, before rushing off, satisfied Raven was not in the general area.

_-Two Titans in one day!- _thought the kid. _-Wait 'till Vanessa hears about THIS!-_

**0 0 0**_  
_

"Hee hee hee!" giggled Starfire, watching the antics of the (surprisingly uncreepy) clown in front of her. Robin, standing just behind her, smiled at her charmingly childish manner.

_-I never know what to say or do around her...- _he thought to himself. _-And yet, when I see her so happy, I feel like I want her to be happy forever...and so, occasionally, I say the right thing to her.- _He frowned, deep in thought. _-Even so, I don't know what she sees in me...alright, I admittedly have some great muscles, and I know martial arts...but that's about it. And Starfire doesn't seem like the type to get in a relationship just for a man's body...what_does _she see in me?-_

"Robin...you are feeling alright, yes?"

Robin shook his head, snapping back into reality to see a concerned look on his girlfriend's face. "Um...sorry, Star..." he said, blushing slightly. "I was just...thinking."

"It is alright!" she said, before suddenly gasping and pointing behind Robin. Instantly, Robin turned, ready for anything, innocent or deadly, good or evil, angelic or demonic, otherworldly or plain, chocolate or vanilla...

...or a cotton candy cart. It was low on his "list of things to expect" list, but not at the absolute bottom...the absolute bottom would probably be either a circus troupe comprised entirely of half-man, half-alligator performers or Slade making out with Brother Blood...

...and now Robin had a _great_ mental image to take with him to his grave.

"Oh, Robin!" shouted Starfire, almost _gloriously_, "Perhaps we should get some cotton candy to share and ride upon the Ferris wheel, as we did upon my first carnival of coming here to Earth!"

Robin looked at her. He wanted to say something sweet, or flirty, or meaningful, or original, or any combination of the above. Yet, after several seconds of Starfire's pouting, pouting as if to say "Please?" to Robin's very _soul_, all he could come up with was...

"Yeah, sure, why not?"

"Oh, thank you friend among boyfriends and boyfriend among friends!" said Starfire, hugging Robin, more gently than she had in previous years, but still powerfully emotionally. "I shall fetch the delicious sugary confection!" she then said, before floating off giggling towards the cart.

Robin sighed. _-I can't ever do anything right...-_

**0 0 0**_  
_

Cyborg grinned, basking in the love of his fans as he walked out of the massive tent. Behind him, an ambulance roared off, the fat dude named Warren in tow. As the crowd chanted a few last "Cyborg!"s and gave one last cheer before dispersing, Cyborg raised his left hand, trophy in it, proud of his victory.

He stood there, smiling at the first trophy he'd received since high school, until a finger tapped him on his shoulder. He turned to see Raven standing there.

"Mind if I talk to the 'Hot Dog Eating Champ' for a little bit?" she asked.

"Naw, go right ahead!" he responded, giving his full attention to her. She turned and began to walk, body language silently saying "Walk with me, talk with me." In an instant, Cyborg complied. "So, what's up, little sis?"

"I told you not to call me that," said Raven, slightly irritated.

"Sorry," said Cyborg, rubbing the back of his head.

Raven grunted. Then, going off topic, she said "I'm either going to get a cavity or throw up."

"Ooh, funnel cake comin' back on you?" Cyborg asked.

"No," Raven responded. "I just saw Robin and Starfire standing in line for the ferris wheel...sharing cotton candy. And not _just_ sharing, either. One of them would take a piece of cotton candy and gently place it in the other's mouth, and then the other one would, and then they'd start to giggle..."

"Woah...I'm getting a cavity just thinking about it!" Cyborg said, unconsciously wiggling a couple of his teeth. "But...throwing up? Don't you think that's going a bit too far?"

"Maybe," said Raven, "But that's what I feel like doing."

"Oh," said Cyborg, understanding, "I get it...you're jealous..."

"If you EVER tell ANYONE," Raven said, stopping in her tracks and turning on Cyborg, "I swear I will..."

"I know, I know," said Cyborg, more or less used to Raven's frequent, half-serious threats, "You'll take me apart, piece by piece, and sell me to a recycling plant. But you don't need to worry." His face softened. "Your secrets are always safe with me."

"Hmph..." grunted Raven, turning away from Cyborg.

"So...what exactly are you jealous about?" asked Cyborg.

"I'm not into Robin, if that's what you're thinking," stated Raven. "Though he is, I admit without hesitation, one of my best friends, our friendship is purely platonic."

"I see," said Cyborg.

"And before you insinuate anything, I'm not into Starfire either."

"I wasn't going to insinuate anything!" said Cyborg quickly, blushing madly.

"Good," said Raven, before turning away.

There was a short silence.

"So..." prompted Cyborg.

"I want to feel loved," said Raven, a little unexpectedly.

"Raven..." said Cyborg, a little astonished, but wanting to comfort her. "You know we'll always love you...we're your best friends."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," said Raven.

Cyborg was silent.

"I want to be in a relationship..." Raven said. "But...who could ever fall in love with me? I'm dark, I still can barely feel emotions, even without my father influencing me...I'm the daughter of a _demon_, Cyborg! I'm...I'm creepy. That's what I am. Too different for this world..." at this point, she was pouring out how she felt directly into the vessel who liked to call itself her big brother, and as all good brothers do, he was listening intently.

"I'm not pretty...I don't have any talents, besides sorcery and magic...and who wants to fall in love with a witch? Who could ever love me?" And even as Raven's monotone never wavered, her pain seemed to be magnified and summarized into a single, painful sentence.

"I don't even love myself."

There was a couple more seconds silence before Cyborg spoke. "I don't think that's true at all." He walked up next to Raven, who looked up to his face as he looked straight ahead. "You're different, but you're not creepy. You may be the daughter of a demon, but that doesn't make _you_ one. And if it helps, I think you're beautiful...don't take that the wrong way or nothin', but I do think so."

"Hmm. I doubt it," said Raven.

Another few moments passed before Cyborg said, "And then, of course, there's the most important point of my argument..."

Raven looked up to him again. He broke from his looking straight ahead to look her in the eye. "We love you Raven. We're your best friends. We really care for you...and I'm positive that someone out there is willing and wanting to care for you like you want to care for someone."

Raven said nothing to doubt, but nothing to affirm, either. So, Cyborg continued.

"In fact, I can think of one person immediately off the top of my head..."

"Who?" asked Raven, interested in spite of herself.

"Little grass stain, kinda short, makes really bad jokes, but likes giving you attention. Oh, and he lives in the same house you do."

"You're mistaken," she said simply. "Beast Boy has no romantic interest in me, nor I in him. You have jumped to a conclusion, assumed much." And she turned away, neither happiness nor sadness showing in her face or in her walk or in her words. She spoke as she walked away, in much the same tone as before. "Thanks for the talk, Cyborg."

Cyborg responded not immediately, but quickly. "He really does like you, Raven! Trust me on this one!"

**0 0 0**

It just goes to show how much you should trust Cyborg.

Despite what Cyborg and several others thought (and uncommon to stories of this kind), the green changeling truly held no romantic feelings towards his teammate Raven. His friendship with her was not entirely platonic, admittedly, for despite what Raven thought of herself, Beast Boy and several other men of Jump City thought her very pretty. Still, beyond a physical attraction, there was no feeling of that sort. Did that mean that there never could be? No. But presently, there was nothing.

But Beast Boy _did_ love her as a best friend, and as one of her best friends (at least he hoped he was), he felt inclined, even glad, to search her out, sit down on a bench to enjoy some funnel cake with her, and try and cheer her up.

He was, of course, still working on step one.

"Raven!" he called out. "Where are you?"

He looked around for a few seconds, before deciding to try a different approach.

"Olly-olly-oxen-free!"

No one came.

_-Oh, man...-_ he thought, suddenly realizing something. _-What if she's already left? I need to find her, and quick, before these funnel cakes get stale...-_and so he ran forward, miraculously managing to avoid bumping into anyone in the vast crowd of people and also to keep the two plates, one in each hand, from upsetting.

Soon enough, as he dodged around several people, he dodged past one who should have been of no consequence. She was a girl, appearing to be about seventeen years of age. She had a small figure, blond hair worn back in a ponytail and dazzling green eyes. She wore a red shirt with a star on it, sneakers, and a white skirt, longer than a mini-skirt, but shorter than a regular skirt. Still, she seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary, and truly, Beast Boy barely noticed her, besides to shout out a "Pardon me!" as he passed by.

It is clear to you, the reader, that this girl had little to do with anything up to this point, and in any other story I might tell of many of the other people walking in the carnival that night, she would most likely go completely unnoticed. However, in this particular story, this young lady was to have a critical impact upon the plot, and therefore, as the omniscient narrator, it is my job to point her out to you, the audience.

As Beast Boy passed on her right, she continued along with the barest of glances towards him, before suddenly stopping, as if realizing she had forgotten something. Instantly, her hand went into her pocket, and as it came out, it had grasped within it something unusual.

It was a small vial, slightly larger than the toothpick it contained. Besides the toothpick, it was filled with water, completely ordinary besides the fact it was tinted slightly blue. It was an odd thing to carry around admittedly, but at first glance it seemed to be no less out of the ordinary than anything else in the carnival. At second glance, however, you could see that the toothpick was vibrating back and forth at a great speed, rising and falling an inch or so within the water holding it.

"Oh, crud..." said the girl, her face filled with fear. Inserting the vial back into her pocket, she suddenly began to run as well, in the direction Beast Boy was coming from. _-Please be wrong, please be wrong, please be wrong...- _she chanted in her mind, speeding up her running even more. After all, if the toothpick was right in its prediction, (which it usually was), then that meant she needed to get where she was going as fast as possible. If not...

...well, she was late opening her jewelry stand anyway.

**0 0 0**

"Oh, Robin, sometimes you are most childlike!" said Starfire, playfully admonishing him for his last comment.

"You more than I!" retorted Robin.

_-That was a stupid thing to say...- _he thought.

"Yes, perhaps this is true," said Starfire, "but at least I am not a gorean stalfazor..."

"Hey!" said Robin, who had picked up a few Tameranean words in the years he had lived with Starfire.

Starfire giggled, ending their "argument". Robin couldn't help but chuckle himself at her gaiety. There were a few moments of comfortable silence between the two, before the fireworks began. As the colored lights shone upon them, and the fireworks' boom echoed throughout the night sky, Starfire "Ooh"d and "Ahh"d, in awe of the magnificent display. Robin smiled. _-Why is everything she does, even little things like admiring fireworks, so...incredible?-_

"They are most beautiful..." Starfire said, gazing at the colored lights.

The phrase "You're way more beautiful than even the most magnificent fireworks," immediately popped into Robin's head, but he could not bring himself to say it. He mentally cursed himself._-Why can't I say it to her? She'd smile, I'd have given her a compliment, she'd remember my saying it the rest of her life...why can't I say it?!-_

And, after several minutes of his trying in vain to say what he wanted, the fireworks stopped, to be replaced by the cheering of the crowd below them. The Ferris Wheel worker, having left them on an extra amount of time, in the perfect place to see the fireworks (mainly because of the ten-dollar bill Robin had passed him upon boarding the ride), pulled the lever to bring the ferris wheel downwards, one car at a time.

"Oh, Robin..." said Starfire, peacefully. "Has not this night been perfect?"

_-No...it hasn't...- _thought Robin. "Yeah, it sure has been," he said out loud.

And as the car lowered itself to the ground and Starfire lost herself in memories of earlier that night, Robin looked out, away from Starfire, that she might not see the scowl on his face, and he thought to himself:

_-Why can't I do anything right?-_

**0 0 0**_  
_

"RAVEN!" shouted Beast Boy, slightly out of breath, but still working towards his goal. He had seen neither hide nor hair of Raven all night, and was really starting to worry he wasn't going to be able to cheer her up. He panted a little. _-She must not be here...-_ he thought. _-Maybe I should...hey!-_

Beast Boy had finally spotted her near the entrance/exit to the carnival. He started to run again, glad he had managed to find her before she left.

"Raven!" he yelled once he was closer to her. She turned, seeming slightly annoyed.

"What?" she asked.

"Gotcha a funnel cake!" he said, holding up the one in his left hand. "I thought maybe we could sit down and...y'know, share them...maybe, talk a bit?" And he smiled, a great, gleaming, fanged, pleading smile.

"No."

"Wha?" said Beast Boy, losing his smile.

"I already had a funnel cake, and it's going to take me until _next_ year's carnival to work off the excess weight...why would I want another one?"

Beast Boy's jaw fell, his eyes went wide and his arms hung limp at his sides, dropping the ironically well-kept funnel cakes uselessly onto the ground. Raven, meanwhile, turned, and exited the car-

"WAIT!" shouted Beast boy, grabbing her shoulder.

Raven turned again, this time only her head. "What now?" she asked curtly.

"Uh, well I-I um..." Beat Boy stuttered, scratching his head. He didn't want Raven to know he just wanted to talk. He thought she'd refuse him flat out...and he thought accurately, at that. "Well, um there's..." Beast Boy's face brightened, as if he'd thought of an idea...which, incidentally, he had. "There's something here I want to show you!"

"Beast Boy, you may be too dense to realize this, but I don't like carnivals. At all. I came here for only one reason, and I have accomplished my goal in coming here. It would be pointless for me to stick around any longer than I want to." Raven began to leave, but that irritatingly familiar hand fell on her shoulder again.

"Please?" asked Beast Boy, desperately. Raven sighed.

"Fine," she relented. "But if I don't like what you're wanting to see, you have to promise to leave me alone."

"Alright!" said Beast Boy. "C'mon, let's go!" And he ran off, Raven walking behind him.

_-Alright...-_ thought Beast Boy. _-What would Raven wanna do...um...oh man...oh! I've got it! At least, I hope I do...-_

_-Must he be so annoyingly childish?-_ thought Raven, keeping half pace with Beast Boy, and really not caring._ -Why did I ever agree to this?-_

**0 0 0**_  
_

POP!

The balloon popped by way of expertly aimed dart. The expert aimer was Robin, who had resigned himself to winning Starfire a stuffed animal of some sort. A bell rang, suddenly.

"NEW RECORD!" said the carnival worker, genuinely happily, even though she had just noticed a new record 12 balloons after the record had been broken. "Most balloons popped in a row! 28 for this strapping young lad!"

Robin, being thrown off by the lady's perkiness, missed his next throw, albeit barely. Still, he had managed to beat the former high score of 16 balloons popped. The reason for such a high number was that this was a carnival game where, so long as you hit a balloon every time, you got an infinite number of darts.

"Excellently done, Robin!" said Starfire. "Please, which fluff-filled creature do you have your eyes upon?"

"Hmm..." said Robin, pretending to think it over. "I don't know...which one do you like, Starfire?"

Starfire glanced around the booth. "Mmm...it is most difficult to choose...they all seem so wondrously adorable..." After a few more seconds of searching, she suddenly gasped. "That one!"

Robin looked where she was pointing. It wasn't the largest of the stuffed animals, or the cutest, but it had a certain charm about it. It was a teddy bear, a light brown in color, with a red scarf around its neck.

"Alright, then!" said Robin. He turned to the lady working the stand. "The red-scarfed bear, please!"

"Sure thing, honey!" she said, southern accent ringing fresh and clear through the night. She tuned and grabbed the bear almost reverently, then turned again and handed it to Robin.

"Excellent choice, Robin!" said Starfire, though he could detect a certain amount of sadness in her voice, as that was the last bear of its kind upon the shelves. "I hope you are able to enjoy snuggling with such an adorable creature..."

"Oh, this isn't for me, Star!" said Robin, chuckling a little bit inwardly at the thought of himself "snuggling" anything. "It's for you!"

Starfire gave off the greatest gasp of the night. "Really?"

"Of course." Robin said, holding the bear out to her. "Boyfriends always try and win their girls a stuffed animal at the carnival. It's kind of like...a tradition."

Starfire took the bear from his hands, tears of joy filling her eyes. "Oh, Robin..." she said, softly.

"And that's not all!" said the lady working the stand. "Since your boyfriend here broke the record, he gets a free game!"

"Cool!" said Robin. "I can get you two stuffed animals, Star!"

Starfire smiled, giving an unconscious glance to the stand. She then did a double take, stood in wonder for a couple seconds, and said "There!"

Robin turned once more to the space where Starfire was pointing. He smiled, for sitting there was a teddy bear similar to the one Starfire already held, but of a lighter color, and with a pink bow tied around its neck.

"I wish to have that one!" said Starfire. "She shall make a delightful girlfriend for Rob-bear!"

"Rob-bear?" asked Robin.

"Oh, yes!" said Starfire, blushing. "I have named the bear already in my possession after you...is this agreeable to you, my boyfriend?"

Robin smiled. "Perfectly fine," he said, picking up a dart. Confident in himself, he briefly took aim, and let it fly.

It missed.

Robin could not believe his eyes. He was an expert marksman, able to knock a weapon out of a villain's hand without triggering it, able to fire off a grappling hook perfectly set to reel him to safety a million times, able to knock out people from twenty paces with pebbles without even bruising them, and this one time, when it counted the most...

He shook himself off. "Well, that's alright," he said, reaching into his pocket. "I'll just buy another game, and then..." he suddenly seemed startled, and turned his upper half in the opposite direction, reaching into that pocket.

Nothing.

"I'm...sorry, Star, but...I'm out of cash," he said, remorsefully.

"Oh, that is alright..." said Star, smiling, but Robin could hear the underlying sadness in her voice. "It is...no big deal, truly. I shall make do with one of these bears...oh!" and she pointed yet again, this time, towards a clock. "It is almost time for us to meet our friends!"

"Yeah, we should get going," said Robin, trying to mask his underlying feelings. As he and Starfire walked away from the stands, he mentally berated himself yet again.

_-You really are pathetic, you know that, Robin?-_

**0 0 0**_  
_

Meanwhile, at the other end of the carnival, Beast Boy was playing a similar game to Robin, this game being all about "spotting the ball". It consisted of a man placing a ball under one of three cups, and...well, I'm sure you know the rest. If Beast Boy could spot the ball five times, each time with a bit more and a bit faster shuffling, then he would win a prize.

Beast Boy was actually quite good at this game, and had managed to win four times already, better than almost every single other person at the carnival...the worker was quick with his hands. As the cups stopped moving, finally, Beast Boy thought a couple seconds, before choosing the right-hand-most cup.

Wordlessly the worker lifted up the cup and, sure enough, there was the ball.

"Alright!" said Beast Boy.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Raven of him. Beast Boy simply pointed up to the prize stand. Raven looked to see...

The Titans, in stuffed animal form. They were actually pretty accurately done, but even so, they were _stuffed_ _animals_. Raven grimaced. "If this is what you were trying to show me..."

"No, no, of course not!" Beast Boy said, eager to correct his mistake. "I just thought you might like a little Titan, that's all..."

"Beast Boy, quit wasting my time, and take me to what you want to show me."

"Right..." said Beast Boy. Raven began to walk away, ready but not willing to take direction from Beast Boy. Beast Boy was about to follow, when...

"Ahem."

Beast Boy turned. The carnival worker was smiling gently, indicating the line of stuffed Titans. "Oh," said Beast Boy, having forgotten all about them. "Um...just give me any one of them."

The carnival worker, either being very wise or very stupid, tossed him a Raven.

_-Oh, boy...-_ thought Beast Boy. Quickly but carefully, he pocketed the doll and ran after Raven.

**0 0 0**

The girl with the blond hair, mentioned earlier in this story, leaned forward, hand resting on a table she had set up. Above her, there was a sign reading _Voodoo Queen, Master of Spells, Enchantments...and Jewelry!_

The supposed Voodoo Queen gave a last pant before sitting down, switching the CLOSED sign over to read OPEN, and took several small pieces of some type of metal, painted brown, and began to place them together. After a few minutes, the whatever-it-was had been fully assembled.

It looked vaguely like a large clock face, hour and minute hand slightly raised of the face. Instead of numbers, however, there was a large assortment of symbols, many more than twelve, around the perimeter of the circle, just underneath the point of the arrows indicating...something. Satisfied with her work, and slightly apprehensive of what might happen if she went ahead with this, she took the vial back out of her pocket and poured the blue water into a small hole where the "hour hand" and "minute hand" intersected. Suddenly slapping herself on the forehead, she took a pair of tweezers from wherever she had gotten the pieces of the "clock" and used them to pull out the toothpick.

She threw the toothpick over her shoulder, into the sea. Bending over slightly, she gave the "hands" of the "clock" a great spin.

Her eyes watched with apprehension as the arrows spun around and around the face. She knew how precise this mechanism was – if it agreed with the toothpick in the vial, there was no questioning the truth.

As the hands spun, a strange thing happened, even considering the general strangeness of all that had been going on. The small quantity of water that had been poured into the device, slowly seemed to drain, though anyone observing could see that it had nowhere to drain to. Finally, as the water completely disappeared, the hands began to slow down. The "voodoo queen" watched intently.

_-Please be wrong, please be wrong, please be wrong...-_

Finally the hands stopped.

There was a moment's silence before the girl spoke.

"Oh...crud."

**0 0 0**

"This is what you wanted to show me?" said Raven, irritated.

"Yeah!" said Beast Boy.

"Beat Boy?"

"Yeah?"

"That's a ferris wheel." Raven said, deceivingly monotonic.

"Well, I guess _show_ you isn't the right word for it, now that I think about it..." admitted Beast boy. "I want to ride it with you!"

"Beast Boy..." asked Raven, "If we ride on that thing together, what are people going to think we are?"

Beast boy thought for a second. "Boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Goodbye, Beast Boy," said Raven, affirming that was the correct answer. She turned to walk away-

Beast Boy got in front of her. "C'mon, Raven! Who cares what other people think?"

"I do," she said, simply. "At least, I do in this area." And she moved around him.

_-Ouch...-_ thought Beast Boy, before turning to follow her. "Okay, Raven, how about we-"

"You promised you'd leave me alone if I didn't like what you were going to show me," said Raven.

_-Drat!-_ thought Beast Boy._-Guess there's nothing left to do but...-_ and he gulped, _-Tell the truth...-_

"Raven, to be honest, you've just seemed a little...grumpy tonight. I wanted to cheer you up, so I thought we could, you know, talk to each other, and..."

"I don't want to talk to you," Raven said.

_-Ouch...-_ Beast Boy repeated mentally. Still, being Beast Boy, he persisted.

"Well, maybe we could do something else," Beast Boy suggested. "Like, maybe when we get back, I could try meditating with you, or we could watch a movie you like, or maybe we could-"

"Stop," said Raven, becoming angrier by the second but trying to control herself. "There is no 'we' in this picture. Right now, I want to be left alone."

"Raven, please?" Beast Boy said, oblivious as usual towards her anger. "Well, maybe...if we can't do something right now, we could do something tomorrow? Oh, I know! Maybe we can visit one of those depressing cafes you like, or-"

And that's when Raven blew up.

**0 0 0**

"When there's trouble you know what to do..." sang Cyborg softly as he leaned against the pole holding up the "JUMP CITY CARNIVAL" sign. "Call Cyborg! He can shoot a rocket from his shoe..."

"Still working out the kinks in that song, huh Cyborg?" asked Robin, walking up to Cyborg alongside Starfire.

"Hardy har har, 'boy wonder'..." said Cyborg, sulkily. Then he noticed something. "Hey, girlfriend beg you to win her a gift, huh?"

"Oh, that is incorrect, friend Cyborg," said Starfire, clutching the teddy bear even tighter to her chest. "Robin won me Rob-bear in order to surprise me!"

To his credit, Cyborg tried to restrain himself. Unfortunately, he failed, bursting out into laughter. "Rob-bear?" he said between bouts of mirth and before falling to the ground to roll with laughter.

"Yeah..." said Robin, embarrassed greatly for the second time that night. "That's its name..."

"Um...has anyone seen friends Beast Boy and Raven?" asked Starfire.

Cyborg stopped laughing, slowly, concern slowly showing on his face. "Now that I think about it, where have those two gone to?"

Robin began to speak as well. "I haven't seen those two all night. I wonder if-"

"**DON'T YOU GET IT, YOU DISTURBINGLY ANNOYING IMBECILE?!" **shouted a voice that sounded suspiciously like Raven.

Immediately, the surrounding crowd went to check out what was going on. The Titans looked at each other, awkward and concerned, before heading off to find the source of the shouting.

**0 0 0**

At the opposite end of the carnival from the rest of the Titans, Raven stood, towering over Beast Boy. "I don't want to be with you! I don't want to talk with you! YOU are the source of my misery!"

"HEY!" shouted Beast Boy, concern for his teammate now forgotten, "I'm trying to HELP you, Raven! If you can't appreciate that, then-"

"APPRECIATE that?!" Raven shouted. A sizable crowd began to form. "Beast Boy, your efforts to try and cheer me up are IDIOTIC! Everything you DO is idiotic!"

Just a few feet away from Beast Boy and Raven was the "Voodoo Queen"'s stand. She raised her head up, curious as to the source of the shouting. Upon seeing Beast Boy and Raven, she blinked a few times, then shook her head, as if in a state of mild shock.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Beast Boy shouted back to Raven as the crowd grew ever larger. Nearby, a news crew who had come to report on the carnival looked to each other, then raised their cameras and began rolling.

"What do you think it means?" Raven spat, venom in her voice despite her now-regained monotonic speech. "Take that stupid ride-idea of yours. What was the _point_? The kids were having plenty of fun without you, and everything at this carnival's already free!"

"Hey! I don't-"

"And that winning me a stuffed animal thing?" Raven continued, ignoring Beast Boy, "That was so incredibly...what made you think I would like that, anyway?!"

"HEY!" said Beast Boy once more as the other Titans manged to move their way to the front of the crowd. "I'm trying to be NICE to you, okay?! Why are you always criticizing everything I do?!"

"Because you do things like...like earlier tonight, where you almost killed those kids!"

"You make it sound like they were actually ever in danger!" Beast Boy interjected, as the girl sitting nearby slowly fiddled with her clock-like object.

"They WERE in danger, Beast Boy!" Raven shouted. "If I hadn't been there, your ride of thrills would have probably-"

"I would have noticed!" Beast Boy shouted, as the Titans tried to move forward to break up the argument but were stopped unpurposefully by the unaware throng of people.

"And that's another point: you're oblivious!" Raven countered.

"I am not!" shouted Beast Boy as the audience began to squirm, slightly uncomfortable.

"Then how come you didn't notice I wanted you to leave me alone? How come you never think about the consequences of anything? How come you're always barging in where you don't belong and MESSING EVERYTHING UP?!"

"I noticed you were depressed!" shouted Beast Boy as Robin finally managed to break free of the crowd and begin to run over. "Maybe you're the oblivious one here, Raven! Even though I've said it like, three times, you just can't notice that I'm TRYING to HELP you!"

"Okay, Titans!" said Robin, stepping in between the two quarreling friends. "That's enough!"

"Please, no more fighting among friends!" said Starfire as she ran up as well, bear clutched tighter to her chest than ever.

"Yeah, guys!" said Cyborg as he ran up. "Now, just calm down, and-"

"NO!" said Raven, causing all the other Titans, besides Beast Boy, to step back involuntarily. "I'm through staying calm around him! He needs to learn that I _don't _want to try tofu, I _don't_ want to play video games, I _don't _like his jokes, and that_ he _should just LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"And you need to learn to get along with people!" shouted Beast Boy as the girl nearby managed to get the second of the two arrows off the "clock"'s face.

"I get along with _people_ just fine! It's YOU I have trouble with!"

There was a shocked silence. Even the carnival music would have been welcome this time, but alas, that had stopped too.

Beast Boy finally broke the silence. "Why do you do these things, Raven? What did I ever do to YOU?"

"Haven't you been listening?!" Raven spat.

"Well, if THAT'S how you want it, fine!" Beast Boy said. The "Voodoo Queen" suddenly looked very, very frightened. She moved double time at dismantling the area around the center of the "watch". "I'll leave you alone from now on! I'll never speak to you again! Would you like THAT, Raven?!"

"I'd LOVE that!" she responded, as the girl beside her finally managed to bring out the very center of the watch. It looked vaguely like two silver rings stuck on top of each other to make one large ring, a shiny sapphire in the center, as would a diamond be on a diamond ring. Strange runes were drawn around the ring.

"Fine then!" said Beast Boy, as the girl took the large ring apart, revealing that it was, in fact, two rings. The runes, though now cut in half, still looked like whole runes. The sapphire(s) looked normal, but upon closer inspection, there was the smallest of grooves where one might slide into the other. "I'll leave you alone!"

"Good!" said Raven. The girl sat back in her chair, looked upon the rings, and sighed, then seemed to be waiting for something...a moment, perhaps.

"Look," said Robin, trying to catch his teammates' attention. "I understand, Raven, that you've had a hard day. I don't know why, or to what extent, but I can tell that you have. So maybe we should go home and calm down and relax, and then maybe you can talk about what's really bothering you."

Raven looked at Robin. Hard. "_He. _Is bothering me." she said, simply.

Robin looked stunned, but only slightly. He was about to speak up again, before Beast Boy spoke.

"I'll leave you alone," Beast Boy said, tears in his eyes and hardness in his voice. "I won't talk to you. I won't bother you. I won't do anything to or for or with you."

"Good," said Raven.

"But before I do," Beast Boy continued, "There's one thing I want to ask you! I've been wanting to ask you for the longest time but never had the guts, but now I figure if you hate me this much, it doesn't matter what I ask you!"

"What is it, Beast Boy?!"

"Ahem."

Both arguing Titans turned towards whoever had cleared their throat, and the rest of the people there did the same. There was a girl sitting at some kind of jewelry stand, one who was about to become very involved with the plot.

"Hi!" she said, eyes closed in joy, mouth open in happiness, and overall acting like she was speaking to two ordinary passer-byers instead of acting like she was talking to two people who had been arguing in front of her stands for several minutes. She held up the aforementioned rings. "Would you like to try on a pair of bee-utiful rings?"

The tension deflated like a slip-knotted balloon.

"Did...she just say..." asked Raven, not quite believing.

There were a few moments of awkward silence.

_Very_ awkward silence.

The carnival music even came back on.

"Huh?" Beast Boy finally said.

"Come on, please?" said the girl, acting as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Well, I...I guess I could..." said Beast Boy.

"Thank you!" said the girl as she slipped the ring onto the shapeshifter's outstretched pinky. He raised it up to his eye level and smiled.

"Huh. Pinky ring!" he said. The crowd began to disperse, trying to put what they had seen out their minds...except, of course, the newsmen, who wanted to put it onto channel 7.

"Childish..." Raven said.

Beast Boy turned, but before he could say anything, the girl spoke up. "C'mon, aren't you going to try on the other one?"

"No," said Raven. Before she could continue, the girl interrupted.

"Please? I'd really appreciate it!"

"C'mon Rae!" said Beast Boy. "Just try them on!"

"Did you forget all about the stuff you vowed to do just a few minutes ago?" Raven asked.

"Yeah," said Beast Boy, repentant. "I just..I said some stuff I'm not proud of. I'm kind of hoping we can forgive and forget."

"I'm not so sure I'm ready to do either," said Raven.

Beast Boy looked downcast, and the girl continued: "Try it on! Please!"

"Fine, just...leave me alone," said Raven, grabbing the ring and slipping it on her pointer finger.

The girl smiled. "Great! So, that means you owe me...zero dollars and zero cents for the rings! Have a nice day!"

"Wait, you're going to give them to us for free?" asked Beast Boy. Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, silly!" said the girl. "You're the Teen Titans! I wish I could give you all some jewelry, but...I'm sold out!"

"Um...that's too bad," said Robin.

"Yeah, a real shame." said Cyborg.

"Truly it is!" said Starfire, truthfully. "Indeed, perhaps I could come back later, when you have some more jewelry to purchase?"

"Sounds like a great idea!" said the girl. "See ya 'round!"

So the Titans walked off, feeling awkward. Except Starfire, who was thinking of jewelry.

Once they got to the entrance, Beast Boy spoke up. "So, uh...pretty nice rings she gave us...not exactly my type of ring, though..."

No one else said anything.

Beast Boy sighed as he got into the T-Car's back seat. _-Nice job, Beast Boy...way to cheer her up...-_

Raven got into the T-Car's front seat. _-Maybe...I went too far...did I really say some of those things?-_

Cyborg got into the driver's seat. _-Things are not going well in the land of the Titans...ho boy...-_

Robin got upon his legendary R-Cycle. _-You can't keep your team together, you can't compliment your girlfriend...you can't do anything right!-_

Starfire sat behind Robin, sadness crossing her face at seeing the looks on her teammates'. _-Oh...I do hope that Raven and Beast Boy will make up soon, so that we do not continue in this state of unhappiness. Sigh...-_

And so they drove home in outward silence.

**0 0 0**

It was 11 o'clock. It was dark outside the tower, dark inside the tower, and at this moment it was dark inside the Titan's hearts. They entered the tower, Beast Boy without jokes, Starfire without her mirthful smile, and Raven without guilt...

...well, that's what she was telling herself.

"So, um, Raven..." said Beast Boy, unsure where to begin. "Maybe now you'd...like to have that talk."

"No, Beast Boy. I wouldn't."

"Oh."

"I'm going to bed," announced Raven, floating off. Beast Boy stood there, looking more downcast.

"I think maybe we should all get some rest..." said Robin.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea..." said Cyborg, walking off.

"I shall retire as well," said Starfire. Robin moved after her slightly, wanting to talk. Still, his courage failed him, and he drew back. He sighed, then walked to his room.

Beast Boy stood in the common room for a few seconds. He thought, deeply, about nothing and everything. Finally, he raised his head and, to no one in particular, said:

"This all...feels so wrong..."

And so he walked to his room as well.

**0 0 0**

Raven slipped out of her boots and her cloak, now comfortable in her own room.

Perhaps "comfortable" wasn't the best word to describe it.

She lied down in her bed, staring at the ceiling. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, she couldn't really contact her emotions very well, but lying here in the silence...it wasn't like she could hear them, but she was still fairly accurate at judging what they were saying.

"_Nicely done!" _said Rude._"I liked how you threw in the comment about how he was more of an animal than a person!"_

"_Though Beast Boy, admittedly, probably did not pick up on the subtleties of what you said," _said Knowledge, _"I am fairly certain that the surface meaning of your comment was more than enough to wound him...severely."_

"_Yes," _said Wisdom, _"For what is the point of arguing? And what is the point of making one of your best friends hurt so very much?...your team hurt so very much?"_

"_Tch." _scoffed Anger, _"He had it coming to him..."_

"_True as that may be, no one deserves to be treated in such a way-"_

"_True as that may be, blah blah, blah blah blah..."_interrupted Rude of Knowledge._"Geez, Bookworm, you really are a stuck-up -"_

"_Watch it..." _said Brave, before addressing Raven. "_Least you had the guts to say what needed to be said! I just wish you hadn't thrown in what didn't need to be said..."_

Raven cringed a little at this remark.

"_He probably hates us now..."_ murmured Timid.

"_Prolly."_ said Rude. _"Oh well."_

Raven vaguely heard Timid start to cry.

"_Where is Happy?"_ asked Wisdom. _"I believe Raven needs some cheering up...I believe we all do."_

"_Acid Trip's asleep." _said Rude. _"Did you really expect her to be awake when Raven isn't feeling happy at all?"_

"_While I do not approve of your hurtful nicknames for us, but you make a point." _said Knowledge.

Affection spoke up. _"We have to do something to show him we care about him..."_

"_Oh, joy..." _grumbled Anger.

"_I'm serious,"_ Affection said. _"I fear we are on the verge of destroying the bond Beast Boy has as one of our best friends."_

Timid gasped, and then started to cry louder.

"_Would someone shut up Second Acid Trip already?" _said you-know-who. Timid only cried louder as a result.

Raven vaguely heard the sound of a belch, the crumpling of a can, and the opening of another. Then she felt someone place a hand on Timid's shoulder.

"_I told you never to talk to her like that," _said Brave.

Raven felt Rude back down, cowardly in the face of bravery.

"_Affection is right,"_ said Wisdom. _"I fear if that...odd girl had not interrupted our arguments, our relationship with him might have been damaged beyond repair..."_

Raven opened her eyes, sitting up. She looked at her pointer finger._-The ring...-_ she thought, _-I'd forgotten all about it, I was feeling so...-_

None of the emotions could come up with an adequate continuation.

Suddenly, within Nevermore, an aura of purest energy surrounded Anger. She screamed in rage, and for a second or two all her other emotions felt her very rage...

...and I don't mean in the form of her aura.

Back in the real world, Raven was giving herself to anger, as she had at the Carnival. All of her frustration with Beast Boy, with her life, with herself, with the world, seemed to focus on that ring...that _stupid _ring! Raven threw it against the wall as hard as she could. Neither it nor the wall were affected by this, as if mocking her, as if life was saying "Your feelings, your happiness, your sadness, even your anger...they're all meaningless!"

Raven felt the anger leave her as quickly as it came, to be replaced by a dull sadness. She slowly lied back down and went to sleep.

Just in time to miss the sapphire on the ring start to glow with an awesome light.

**0 0 0**

Beast Boy walked into his room as well. Like Raven, he was searching himself for answers. Unlike Raven, he did not have physical representations of his emotions wandering around inside his brain. Therefore, he had no conversation with any inner self, no conversation at all, really. His thoughts were meaningful, but silent.

As he stripped down to his undershirt and boxers, something fell out of his pocket. He bent down, curious to see what it was...

It was the Raven doll that he had won earlier that day.

Gently picking it up in his hand, he lifted it up to eye level and stared at it for a while. Like Raven, he focused all of his emotion on that one single object...but unlike Raven, he felt no anger.

As tears rolled down his cheeks, he gently set down the doll on his dresser drawer. Feeling no energy, he did not bother to climb, as was his usual custom, into the top bunk of his bed, instead simply lying down on the bottom bunk. He gave a last, hard look at the Raven doll, before closing his eyes so tightly it was as if he was trying to shut out the pain. He fumbled for the nearby lamp and then turned it off, sinking slowly into sleep.

Shortly after his going to sleep, his ring (which he had forgotten to take off) began to glow in a similar manner to Raven's.

**0 0 0**

Meanwhile, all over the city, people slept. Some peacefully, some fitfully, some with pleasant dreams, some with nightmares. But every single soul was sleeping. None were awake.

Inside the tower, Robin was one of the fitful sleepers, berating himself within his own dreams for his imperfection. Starfire did not sleep fitfully, but she slept sadly, somewhat comforted by the bear held within her arms. Cyborg had fallen asleep as normal, besides the fact that he had turned off his dream functions for the night – things did not look well in Titans Tower, and his Central Processing Unit tended to replay the events of the day during his dreams.

And yet, despite it all, to look upon the entirety of the city, you would say, first and foremost, that it was a peaceful place. A very peaceful place indeed.

And then the very fabric of the universe was torn apart.

* * *

Hooray for cliffhangers. That said, I wanted to note a few things in this story, and thusly, shall do so. 

"But she agreed to come along anyway, for one reason and one reason alone: Raven loves funnel cakes like Cyborg loves waffles."

Raven's love for funnel cakes stems very much from my own. I remember the very first funnel cake I ever had was chewy, alright in its own way but not to delicious. I ate about half, then fell upon the second half after dinner. By that time, the grease had soaked out of it, leaving a fluffy, delicious pastry that I wish I could have more of.

"Jump City had tried something new at this year's carnival: a hot dog eating contest. And Cyborg being, well, Cyborg, he had decided to enter."

This idea, which I modestly claim as fantastic, stemmed from the fact that I needed a break between plot points. Instantaneously, I came up with the idea of an eating contest. The rest is history.

"I was just...embarrassed that all of Jump City is going to see me in that kind of situation with my shirt turned inside out and my cape on backwards..."

When I wrote this passage, I wanted to acknowledge that, though Starfire is naive to the ways of Earth, that does not mean she is completely and totally naive, as several fictions claim her to be. Or, more specifically, I wanted to recognize that even the sweetest and most innocent girls have hormones. I hate hormones...

"_...what _does_ she see in me?"_

Robin's nigh-on hatred of himself in this chapter stemmed from Robin thinking about Starfire...one of the first thoughts I had was that even thoughthey were boyfriend and girlfriend (and apparently very adept at making out), Robin wouldn't know what to do 100 percent of the time. Then I realized he would hate not knowing what to do when it came to Starfire...and it went from there. An excellent way of broadening this beyond your Average BBRae Fiction.

"...the absolute bottom would probably be either a circus troupe comprised entirely of half-man, half-alligator performers or Slade making out with Brother Blood..."

The first part of this sentence...vaguely stems from my remembrance of an episode of Batman where the villain Croc escaped to join a group of circus freaks. The second part...I think I had a seizure writing the second part.

"So, what's up, little sis?"

I figured that over the course of time, Cyborg would probably, unconsciously or otherwise, take on the role of big brother to the team. As for the talk they have that follows...it seems out of character for Raven upon first reading it, but upon thinking it over, it makes sense Raven would let emotions bottle up until she had to let them out...especially emotions of this kind. I _really _hate hormones...

"Despite what Cyborg and several others thought (and uncommon to stories of this kind), the green changeling truly held no romantic feelings towards his friend Raven."

When I was writing this story, part of my desire was to be a little bit contradictory to the average RaeBB fiction. This, I suppose I felt, was probably the best way to do so. Besides that, it makes great plot material, and lets you know, straight up, that nobody in this story is in denial about their feelings...except Raven, who is to some degree with all her emotions due to years of conditioning.

"She was a girl, appearing to be about seventeen years of age."

As said a paragraph above, I wanted to be contradictory when I was writing this story. In the original "Til Death Do Us Part", the Voodoo Queen was, as I remember, the stereotypical old witch, mysterious in her ways. Thusly, as a twist, I made my Voodoo Queen (OR IS SHE) young, pretty, frantic, and slightly odd. She's still mysterious in her ways, I admit, but that's only temporary.

"It was a teddy bear, a light brown in color, with a red scarf around its neck."

I got the idea for Rob-bear's and his "girlfriend"'s designs from an excellent rhythm game for the Nintendo DS known as Elite Beat Agents. It's weird in concept: mysterious men in black travel through time and space, helping those who need it. They never interact with those they help except to cheer them on in their daily tasks...by _dancing_. Like I said, weird; still, as weird as it is, that's exactly how good it is, too. In fact, I'd say it's the best game I ever played. Go out and buy it now.

"The Titans, in stuffed animal form."

The idea of Beast Boy trying to win Raven something was a given. What wasn't a given was the prize. I don't know why I decided to make the prizes Titan dolls, but from the look of things, it shall be an excellent plot point.

"**DON'T YOU GET IT, YOU DISTURBINGLY ANNOYING IMBECILE?!"**

I fear I made Raven sound a bit...evil in this chapter. In her defense, she was having a very bad day, and had been pushed to her breaking point...and we know how bad that place can be. Imagine how bad it is for Raven, who has had years of emotional training!

"This all...feels so wrong..."

Remember this statement: it shall take on greater meaning much later in this story! It's not necessary to understand or enjoy the story, though, so don't try _too_ hard to remember.

"In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, she couldn't really contact her emotions very well, but lying here in the silence...it wasn't like she could hear them, but she was still fairly accurate at judging what they were saying."

At first, I was going to leave the story at the Titans going to bed, and then a white light coming from nowhere... but then I thought that that would make Raven seem like an inhuman monster, so I put in this sequence...and I must say, I'm glad I did.

_"Acid Trip's asleep,"_ said Rude."

I don't know where the idea of having Rude give offensive nicknames to her sisters came up from in my head, but I liked the idea, and found it rather easy to write down. To be honest, I felt guilty typing some of the stuff Rude said, even though I technically didn't say it and truly do not think these nicknames just.

"Meanwhile, all over the city, people slept."

As I wrote the "people go to sleep" sequences, I felt a combination of sadness and happiness. Sadness, because what I had written was touching my heart. Happiness, because I knew that when what an author writes affects him, it is likely it will effect his audience too. I hope that is the case here...but I also hope you weren't struck _too_ sad by it all.

And so, I leave this chapter with two final notes. The first one, in my general contradictoriness, is the disclaimer, put here near the end of the chapter instead of at the beginning.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Teen Titans, which belong to DC Comics and Glen Murakami. I also do not own Elite Beat Agents, which belong to Nintendo and iNiS.

The second note is one of goodwill and cheer, whatever your religion, I hope you take my wishes to heart:

God bless you all!


	2. Matrimony

Next update! And this one is full of surprises, let me tell you...nothing plot-changing, at least not majorly plot-changing, but surprises nontheless. Also, a note before we begin...

I have several other stories up currently, as I'm sure some of you know...I want to finish them all, of course, but this one takes priority with me because it is the first one I have felt, with all my heart, mind and soul, like I've wanted to complete. Thusly, from here on in I WILL update _at least _once a week! There will be exceptions, of course, but yeah...I'll update once a week at least, and make up if I have to miss a week. That said, the chapter begins at the beginning of the next day...

* * *

_Pitter Patter Pitter Patter_

It was raining, softly. Each drop hit the window in the illusion of harmony, to create a monotonous beat that got into your brain and stayed there. Raven woke up to this.

She glanced over to the window and watched the droplets fall. She had always liked the rain. It calmed her, at least when there wasn't any thunder out. It especially calmed her when she had just woken up, because on days like this she was allowed to subvert her morning schedule a bit. Usually, she would wake up early and immediately, but on days where it was raining she could never resist turning over, pulling the covers a bit further over her head, and going back to sleep. She was grateful, in spite of and because of yesterday's events, that today was a new day she didn't have to face _quite_ yet, and so tried to do just that: roll over and fall asleep.

I'm sure you all know approximately what happened next.

No, not that, the other thing.

That's right: Beast Boy.

In an undershirt and boxers.

With his arms around her.

Raven was so startled she couldn't even scream. That didn't last too long. Not to mention, Raven's turning over had woken up Beast Boy, who reacted slightly quicker than Raven had. In short, they screamed in stereo.

"GYAAAAAH!" shouted Beast Boy, jumping out of bed.

"AIEEEEE!" shouted Raven, doing the same.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE...in...my...room?" they asked of each other, slowing down near the end because...it wasn't either of their rooms. In fact, it looked a little like a combination of Beast Boy and Raven's rooms. I won't try and describe it further, because any way I could describe it would make it sound ugly, thrown together, and odd, but in reality it was very nice-looking, well thought out and...odd. There was no getting around the fact that it was odd.

"Okay, this is weird..." said Beast Boy, in the understatement of the year. "What the tooth decay is going GAAAAH!" he suddenly shouted. "I'M IN MY UNDERWEAR! And you're in your leotard!"

"Be thankful..." said Raven. "If I was in my underwear, you'd be dead right now..."

Beast Boy sweatdropped before suddenly running into a nearby room. He emerged fully clothed, leaving the door open behind him. It was, as he had hoped, a closet. He looked...scared, though.

"Um...Rae?" he asked, the askee now wearing her cloak and boots and, unnoticed to Beast boy, blushing a bit. Not that he would have blamed her, he was blushing A LOT. "Both our uniforms are in that closet...and some other stuff, too..." his blush grew.

Raven's blush grew as well, before she turned even more red, now with anger. "You little pervert, I'm going to..."

"Wait, WHAT?" shouted Beast Boy, embarrassment now tripled. "It's not like I MEANT to-"

"I should have KNOWN you had something to do with this!" said Raven, all logic out the window...not that you could blame her about that, really. "YOU set this up somehow, didn't you? You wanted to-"

"Raven, calm down!" shouted Beast Boy, now worried about his safety. "You know I would never do anything like that-"

"Or maybe...this is all a prank, isn't it! You and Cyborg wanted to humiliate me...where's the hidden camera? Oh, or maybe you're just a sadist! That's all I need, a sadistic, annoying, idiotic, perverted-" And Raven continued to rant, despite Beast Boy trying to protest that it wasn't his fault. After a few minutes of opening his mouth to protest at various pauses, Beast Boy set his jaw and turned into an elephant. He then trumpeted, loudly, directly at Raven, who stopped ranting. He changed back.

"Calm down, Raven!" he said.

Raven continued to stumble a little due to the soundwaves before standing straight up and looking at Beast Boy. "Thanks," she said, monotone back in place. "I needed that."

"I'm not sure how to respond to that," said Beast Boy.

Raven sighed. "So...how did we end up in this sick fantasy?"

"Beats me..." said Beast Boy, looking around.

"Mmm. Think back. Stuff like this is usually your fault."

Beast Boy was about to respond, when he noticed something. He blinked a few times, glanced downwards, and said something Raven did not expect. "Actually, I think it's both our faults..."

"What do you mean?" asked Raven, illogical suspicion coming back.

"Hold up your left hand..." said Beast Boy.

Raven looked confused, but did so anyway. She looked at said hand for a second, a little stunned. "Huh," she said, half to herself, "I could have sworn I took this ring off..."

"And I could have sworn I had it on my pinky," said Beast Boy, holding up his left hand as well.

"Hmm...that's weird," said Raven, turning her hand over, as if looking for some hidden something-or-other on the other side of that ring.

"Now look what finger it's on," said Beast Boy.

"Second finger from the pinky?" asked Raven.

"Think about it..." said Beast Boy, now slightly irritated...and a little surprised he'd figured it out long before Raven had.

Raven looked at her hand again for a couple seconds, before her eyes grew wide. And I mean _wide_. "But...but that would mean that..." and she looked up to Beast Boy, her saucer-wide eyes pleading for another explanation. None came, so she haltingly continued. "That w-would mean that...that you...and I were...were..."

"Married," Beast Boy finished for her.

**0 0 0**

Meanwhile, in the common room, Cyborg sat down on the couch, playing his brand new, motion controlled Gamestation 180. Starfire, leaning somewhat forward over the sofa, was watching, a content-with-life smile on her face. Suddenly, her head perked up.

"Friend Cyborg..." she said. He paused the game.

"Yeah, Star?" he asked, as Starfire looked around, somewhat confused.

"Did you, perhaps, hear a small noise much like a scream?" she asked of her half-metallic friend.

Cyborg cocked his head slightly. "No...at least, I don't think so..."

"Hmm..." thought Starfire. "Perhaps it was only my imagination...?"

"Eh, probably..." said Cyborg, unpausing his game.

**0 0 0**

Raven panted for breath, while Beast boy cringed in pain. Those pointy ears weren't just for show, after all. Finally, Raven took a last breath and, eyes still wide, shouted...

"MARRIED?! ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"Well, it would explain a lot..." said Beast Boy, his ears twitching slightly.

"Oh, this is just GREAT!" said Raven, sarcasm dripping off her tongue. "I can't believe it...I've been trapped in a living hell..."

"While I wouldn't go that far," interjected Beast Boy, "I'm not exactly happy about this either!" Suddenly, his eyes widened as well, his next sentence forgotten, as Raven's position, arms akimbo and all that, allowed him to have a good look at her...and for once, his hormones were not interested in her body. Well, not in the way you would expect, anyway. "Um...Raven?" he asked.

"What?" she said, now annoyed.

"You've, um...how can I say this tactfully?" Beast Boy wondered. "Um, you've...gotten older..."

Raven started, then looked around for a mirror. She finally found a full length one on the now-open door of the closet. She looked herself up and down, not sure whether to be pleased or horrified by the changes in her.

She had gotten taller, that was the first and most obvious point. Her figure had shrunk in some areas and grown in others, the legendary hourglass effect, although it wasn't anywhere _near_ perfect...well, she didn't think so, at least. Her cheekbones had seemingly changed in structure a little, though not unattractively so...in fact, just enough to really mold her face, and her hair around it...and her hair! Her hair had grown, once again, just enough to accentuate her new facial features, no more, no less. Her arms were thicker, but her legs were slimmer, and her...well, let's just say she'd grown older, and leave it at that.

"I...I look...twenty..." she said, still unsure how to react.

"And I'm willing to bet I've grown older, too..." said Beast Boy, stepping towards the mirror. Raven stepped back, more than willing to let Beast Boy look so she could gain some composure. She failed at this when she looked over to see how exactly Beast Boy had grown. She_definitely_ failed at this.

Beast Boy had also gotten taller, very much so. He was taller than she was, now. His shoulders were broad, too, and he had gained a little bit of muscle, a little bit of ferality in his facial features...but mainly, he had gotten _tone_. The kind of muscle tone that says, "My muscles aren't the biggest, but I have more power in them than most people have in their whole bodies." The kind of tone that women swooned over...at least, the kind Raven did.

As Beast Boy studied his two-year-enhanced self in the mirror ("Huh...I'm going to need to start shaving...") Raven subconsciously licked her lips. _-So...hunky...- _She thought, surprisingly, _-And he's all MINE...-_

Her thought processes ground to a halt processing what she had just said. Then, she frowned, irritated. _-Affection...-_ she thought to her, ahem, "passionate" inner self, angrily. She did NOT need those kinds of thoughts distracting her from figuring out how to fix this mess.

_-The fortuneteller!-_ she thought, insight gripping her. _-Or...whatever she called herself...these were HER rings! She should know how to...wait...if these were HER rings, that means that she...-_

And Raven began to grow angry just in time for Beast Boy to turn around and get thoroughly freaked out. "Um...Raven?" he asked.

"We need to find that fortuneteller," said Raven through clenched teeth, a dark aura surrounding her. "And when we do find her, I'm going to make her tell us how to make things go back to normal..."

"But, Raven..." said Beast Boy, backing away slightly. "Do we really need to _kill_ her?"

Raven looked at him oddly. "I never said I was going to kill her..."

"Not verbally," Beast Boy responded simply.

Raven sighed, the aura disappearing. Hopefully that meant she had calmed down. "Actually, now that I think about it, we don't need to find her..."

"What do you mean?" asked Beast Boy.

"These rings don't have any magic coming off of them that I can feel," said Raven, "So that means any magic they're doing is low level...so I should probably be able to undo this whole mess by just taking off the rings."

"Oh...cool!" said Beast Boy, grinning that grin of his.

"Yeah, whatever..." said Raven, taking off the ring...

It wouldn't come off.

"What the..." she started, before circumventing the whole confusion process and just proceeding straight to anger, ragingly pulling on the ring. It still wouldn't come off, even after three minutes of solid pulling...one of which was with Beast Boy pulling, and twenty seconds with them both pulling.

"It's no good..." said Beast Boy, rubbing the sweat off his forehead. "It won't come off..."

"Then that's that..." said Raven. "I'm gonna have to go to plan B..."

"Which is...?" asked Beast boy, motioning for her to continue.

A knife surrounded by black energy flew into Raven's hand, handle first.

"You'd rather cut your own finger off than be married to me?!" Beast Boy asked, indignant.

Raven looked at him for a few seconds. "Yes," she said.

_-Ouch...-_ Beast Boy repeated mentally again, something he'd been doing a lot of lately. "But, Raven, we don't even know for sure if the rings are causing this!"

"What do you-of course they are! What else would be?!" said Raven.

"I don't know, but I just thought, maybe the rings are only stuck on because we didn't put them where we thought we did, and with our growth spurts and all..."

Raven looked at Beast Boy funny.

"Yeah, that's pretty stupid," said Beast Boy. "But at least try your magic first!"

_-Duh...-_ thought Raven, mentally smacking her forehead. "Alright...well, then stick out your hand."

"Hey, I don't want my finger chopped off!"

"Not what I was going to do..." said Raven, before realizing her hand still held the knife, which she sent flying off sideways somewhere.

"Alright.." said Beast Boy, holding out his left hand. "Just...be careful, okay?" and he began to sweat.

"Alright," said Raven, outstretching her hand near Beast Boy's, and being very careful not to touch his hand. "But I have to warn you...this may sting a little, so if you _really _need to cry..."

Beast Boy grimaced, and Raven chuckled inwardly, slightly. She raised her right hand over her and Beast Boy's left, and began to whisper. After a few seconds, Beast boy whispered as well, but he wasn't chanting.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Raven looked up, irritated. "Well, I WAS trying to get our rings off, but now I'm being very, very ANNOYED!"

Beast Boy sweatdropped again. "Heh heh heh...sorry."

Raven rubbed her temples slightly before resuming her position. After about a minute of newly-whispered chanting, she finally looked up, eyes glowing. Dark energy surrounded her and Beast Boy's matching rings, and she began to chant again, now loud enough for us to hear...

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos..."

The rings began to vibrate.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos..."

They were moving, ever so slightly.

"Azarath..."

They stopped moving.

"Metrion..."

The dark energy swelled around Raven and Beast Boy's left hands.

"ZINTHOS!"

There was a large blast of magical energy. Beast Boy closed his eyes, Raven might have had she been able to. Finally, the energy subsided.

"Woah..." said Beast Boy. "All that for a ring?"

"Hmph," grunted Raven. Beast Boy started, realizing he'd said the wrong thing again...well, maybe the right thing in the wrong way. "I got it off, didn't I?" she continued.

"Yep!" said Beast Boy. "You definitely...uh oh."

"Let me guess, it's on my right hand now?"

"How'd you know?" deadpanned Beast Boy, something he'd always wanted to do.

Raven looked at her right hand. The stupid ring was annoying her more than Beast Boy usually did, and that is saying something. Suddenly, her eyes widened again, as the ring had started to glow. In a flash of light, it...disappeared? _-No...too easy...-_ Raven thought, looking at her left hand again. Yep, there was the ring, back in its "intended" position. _-I knew it...-_

"Good thing you didn't chop your finger off, cause that thing would have jumped right back on..." said Beast Boy. Raven ignored him.

"Alright..." she said, massaging her temples once again. "We need to find that one girl who gave us these rings-"

"Voodoo Queen."

"Whatever," said Raven, not really caring. "We need to find her, and we need to find her quickly..." And she began to walk towards the door.

"HOLD IT!" shouted Beast Boy, stepping in front of her. Raven started before resuming her body-language monotone.

"What?" she asked.

"Okay, if this ring is powerful enough to change us and our tower," said Beast Boy, as Raven mentally sighed, bracing for a stupid theory. "It's probably powerful enough to change other stuff too, right?"

"That would make sense, yes," said Raven, still ready for random.

"So that means the others are probably two years older and stuff, too, right?" he asked.

"Beast Boy, what's your point?" asked Raven.

"All I'm saying is: what if the other guys don't remember last night, or like...that we aren't really married?!"

"Beast Boy..." Raven started to point out how stupid and nonsensical that idea would be.

"I know, I know, it doesn't make much sense, but what IF?" he said. Raven thought about it.

"I don't know, Beast Boy," she sighed, unable to wrap her logical mind around his crazy theory. "What _if_ they don't remember?"

"Well, if we walk into the common room telling the truth," explained Beast Boy, "Then to them, we would walk into the common room, spout off some nonsense about us being two years older than we should be, and how we aren't really married and how we need to find the culprit, see you later, bye, and they'll THROW US IN THE LOONY BIN!"

Raven thought, again. No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't find a way to disprove his theory, odd as it sounded.

"And what if they're RIGHT?"

Now, _that_, Raven could disprove.

"That's just idiotic," she said.

"No, think about it! What if our whole 'real' life is just some hallucination you've had, and I have it too because of your apathy!"

"Empathy!"

"Sorry," said Beast Boy. "Empathy...but you can't deny the possibility!"

"Alright, alright, alright..." said Raven. She massaged her temples again before continuing. "Look...I suppose you make a point. You go do what you do best, unfortunate as it is, and spy on the others. See if they're any different, or whatever."

"Cool!" said Beast Boy, his face lighting up. "What are you going to do?"

"Stay here," said Raven simply.

"Aw...that's no fun..." said Beast Boy, ears drooping.

"No, but it's necessary...I need to talk to my emotions...our," and here she shuddered, "Marriage has left my mind...shaky. I need to calm myself, and the best way to calm down is to get in touch with myself." Raven suddenly frowned. "Why do you want me along anyway?"

"Oh, I, um...I've never gotten to do any spywork with you before...everyone else has gotten to, even Starfire, but you've never joined in on my..." and Beast Boy did a bunch of random karate poses. "Secret missions..."

"Ever think there's a reason for that?" Raven pointed out. Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked towards the mirror. "Get going."

"Okay! Have fun!" shouted Beast boy in response before turning and heading out the door.

A vein throbbed in Raven's temple, another straw threatening to break another camel. _-When is he going to learn that not everything is about fun?-_

And with that, Raven chanted her mantra a few times and the mirror's power sucked her in.

"Um, Raven?"

Or not.

"What is it, Beast Boy?" Raven asked, through clenched teeth, as she turned around. Beast Boy...looked scared?

"I just realized..." Beast Boy started, "Why do you keep a knife in your room?"

**0 0 0**

"Boy, if looks could kill..." said Beast Boy to himself a couple minutes later as he walked down the hallway. It was quiet today, that probably meant everyone was in the common room. _-Yep, there they are...-_ Beast Boy thought as his ears twitched at the sounds of Gamestation and Star/Rob's conversation. They were still far away, though, he could just barely hear them.

An evil smirk appeared on his face. _-Pitiful humans ears cannot match to the likes of mine own! I can hear them, but more than likely they cannot hear me! MWAHAHAHA!- _Even so, Beast Boy turned into a fly before continuing any further...too many spy missions were ruined by overconfidence.

**0 0 0**

Meanwhile, a small portal opened in Nevermore, deposited Raven in the area of Affection's, and disappeared, its purpose in life being complete. Raven started stomping over to the conveniently-placed-nearby Affection. What an incredibly well-planned coincidence, huh?

Affection, in all her purple cloaked glory, turned to see Raven, looked startled, and then tried to turn away. Raven stopped her with a word...two words, actually: "HOLD IT!"

Affection's head lowered and her shoulders went up, a sure sign she was scared. She turned, body language now showing calmness and her face showing otherwise. "R-R-Raven!" she stuttered. "What a...pleasant surprise!"

"Don't give me that..." said the now-thoroughly angry Raven. "What was that _thought_ you gave me back when Beast Boy was looking himself over in the mirror?"

"Um...isn't it obvious?...heh, heh, heh..." chuckled Affection nervously after trying to escape by use of humor. Raven simply stared, angry as ever. "I'm sorry..." said Affection, hanging her head. "I guess I got a little carried away...but you know, I can't help myself! Lust is one of my jobs..."

"I understand that," said Raven. "What I don't understand is the second part...he's _all mine?_ What were you-"

"Well he is!" Affection interjected.

There were a few moments of awkward silence.

"Wuh...what?" Raven asked, now confused rather than angry.

"I mean, we've been married for half a year now!" continued Affection. "I know that thought of yours came out of the blue, but that doesn't mean it isn't the truth!"

Raven stood, still slack-jawed...at least, as slack-jawed as Raven could comfortably become. "You mean...you think that all of this...is _real_?"

"Yes!" said Affection. "Of course it is! How could you think it isn't? You and Beast Boy have so many memories together!" Suddenly, she blushed, and looked down slightly before she continued, a serene smile on her face, and a slight sigh in her beginning. "I still remember our wedding night like it was yesterday..."

Raven slapped her hand over Affection's mouth as her eyes went wide...Raven's eyes, not Affection's. Though Affection did experience a slight optical increase as well upon being silenced so. "Not...another..._word_..." said the distraught Raven, trying to get some _very _persistent mental images out of her head. She slowly took her hand off the emotion's mouth. "So...this is real, to you, at least?"

Affection nodded, afraid to break the "No talking" rule. She was smiling, though.

Raven sighed. _-Great...-_ she thought, _-That means even MORE trouble...-_

"Ah, there you are," said a nearby voice. Affection and Raven both turned towards it. "I have been looking for you..."

**0 0 0**

Beast Boy, in the meantime, had finally made it into the common room. He took a look around. _-I can never get used to these compound eyes...-_ he thought. Focusing on Cyborg, he squinted, at least as much as a fly can squint. _-There's Cyborg,-_ he thought._-Doesn't look very different...then again, what do I know, especially with these eyes?- _

He looked over to the counter next. There was Starfire, talking with somebody, presumably Robin. He didn't have to squint this time; it was definitely Starfire, and she was...probably a bit older. Maybe? At any rate, her cooking seemed to have improved...now the fly was attracted to it instead of repulsed by it. Very noticeable at picnics, that trait was.

Beast Boy forcibly turned his head and his instincts away from the...pancakes? And looked over to whomever Starfire was talking to, he couldn't quite see yet. Instincts, tough things to repress. _-Ah, there we go...-_ he thought. He focused his compound eyes on what he still assumed to be Robin, and what probably was. Yep, there he was, in all his-

Blue emblem.

Long hair.

Black suit.

That wasn't Robin.

That was _Nightwing_.

_-Oh boy...-_ Beast Boy thought.

**0 0 0**

"Wisdom," said Raven. "At last, I can talk to someone sensible..." Affection looked a little put off at this, but held her tongue.

"Raven," said Wisdom, a bit of astonishment in her voice, "I thought I had warned you it was best for you to keep your anger in check! You should not fly off at the first sign of aggrava..." She trailed off, because Raven looked _very_ aggravated.

"I did NOT come here for a lecture, Wisdom," Raven said, "I came for advice."

"Forgive me," said Wisdom, "I was not thinking clearly. Of course you came here for help in calming yourself down...in my defense, however, no one is really thinking very clearly at this point."

"I'll give you that," said Raven, now much calmer...well, on the outside. "So what do you propose we do about this whole mess?"

"Hmm..." Wisdom murmured, thinking a while. "I am afraid...I cannot say at this point. I, too, am unsure about many things...reality being one of those things."

"You doubt reality too?" Raven asked, eyebrow shooting up.

"As odd as Beast Boy's ideas sound," Wisdom explained, "You cannot deny the possibility of what he says...in fact, some of my sisters believe this may just be reality, and your former life only a hallucination you and Beast Boy share."

"Why would they believe that?" asked Raven. "It's more reasonable to believe-"

"This is not about reasonability, Raven. Though your emotions are capable of feeling and thinking now that they are more than just ideas and representations, that capability only goes so far. They may not realize it, but many, if not all of them believe by choice, not by logic."

"That makes sense," said Raven, thinking it over. "So...who besides Affection wants me and Beast Boy to..." she shuddered again, "Tie the knot?"

"Well, let me think...first and foremost, Knowledge and I are suspending judgment on the whole ordeal until we have some more conclusive evidence."

"That makes sense," agreed Raven, "But it's not what I asked you."

"Learn patience, Raven. I was just about to get to that. Besides Affection, Timid and Happy want you and Beast Boy to stay together."

"Happy?" Raven asked. "I can understand Timid wanting this...kind of...but Happy? I would be miserable if I ever married Beast Boy for real!"

"And yet, it would make her much happier," Wisdom responded. She suddenly smirked, slightly. "Odd how things sometimes get lost in translation, is it not?"

"I'll say..." Raven murmured. She thought a bit, before telling Wisdom: "I'm calling a council here. Tell the others."

"As you wish," the brown-cloaked emotion said before walking off. Raven, in turn, began to meditate. Affection, in turn, in turn, began to make a crown of flowers. In turn, in turn, in turn Beast Boy...

**0 0 0**

Beast Boy was still a fly high on the wall of the Titans' common room. His eyes had come into as much focus as they could, and Beast Boy could hear perfectly, so he had a...general idea of what was going on. In case you're wondering how Beast Boy could hear so perfectly...well, due to his animal DNA, he has far-above normal hearing, smelling, and seeing abilities, and that transfers over to the fly, giving him extraordinary smelling powers, somewhat below a human's hearing ability, and bad vision simply because of how many eyes he has compared to normal.

Yeah. Let's go with that.

At any rate, Beast Boy was able to tell now: yes, everyone was two years older...and it was apparently still the day after the carnival, only two years from now...or is that two years before now was when the carnival took place? Even omniscient narrators can't figure out time travel, let me tell you...but back on topic: no one seemed to have any memory of that day two years ago (Yesterday?). How Beast boy knew this? He went away for a little bit, transformed, and searched the Internet. No videos about his and Raven's argument. Anywhere. Well, one good thing came out of all this..

After that search, Beast Boy went back as a fly and gathered some visual data. Starfire had grown even taller, and so had Robin...er, Nightwing. Cyborg, on the other hand, had stayed the same height...not surprisingly, considering he was the oldest of the group and probably done growing. He had, however, gotten more muscular...cybernetic implants, perhaps?

Rob...Nightwing had also gotten more muscular, and broader shoulders as well. He looked trim and athletic and (although Beast Boy couldn't see...along with the rest of the world's population) he had a sparkle in his eye that wasn't there two years ago. The smile on his face was visible, however, and he seemed...at peace, maybe? Was the search for Slade finally over? Who knew? His hair was long, just as Starfire had described it on coming back from the future...but man, it was _long_. He made it look good, though.

And then there was Starfire. Her figure had stayed about the same proportionally, which means it had grown by a couple inches...everywhere. Her hair was in a different style, slightly shorter, a green headband holding it back. There were a couple strands of hair peeking out from the front of the headband, a couple strands Starfire had actually made sure stuck out in order to complete her look. She was wearing the faintest amount of blush, different from the Starfire that used to shy away from make-up...although maybe that was just because she never got the chance to try it? She was also wearing a light-red, almost pink shade of lipstick, although judging from her and Nightwing's conversation, it was only a temporary thing and she was merely getting his opinion on how it looked on her.

_-So far, nothing definite,-_ thought Beast Boy. _-Although no one exactly seems to freaked out by their being two years older all of a sudden. Boy, my life is weird...-_ And he zoomed down, landing on the counter near Nightwing and Starfire to get a listen in. _-And boy, are these guys oblivious! It's like an antelope stealing teeth from a blind alligator!- _He chuckled to himself. _-Blind alligator, I'll have to write that one down...-_

No one's conversation would be too interesting or relevant for a long while, so perhaps it is time we checked back on Raven...

**0 0 0**

After an hour of waiting, all eight of Raven's emotions had arrived, Happy arriving first while pretending to be an airplane, and Rude arriving last while pretending she didn't care about this whole mess. Raven stood up, gaining the attention of most of the murmuring emotions before her. She took a couple breaths before talking, in order to handle the stress of talking to oneself.

"As I'm sure you all have realized by now." she began, "Someone has forcibly married Beast Boy and I, and-"

"That's not true!" said Affection, standing up as well.

"Sit down and shut up," said Anger, "I want to hear this."

Affection looked slightly angry at this, but sat down anyway.

"As I was saying," said Raven. "Someone has forcibly married Beast Boy and I, and we need to get a solution to this problem ready to go." She looked around. "Does anyone have any ideas? And before you suggest that one fortuneteller girl, I already thought of that...she's probably long gone by now."

There was silence for a couple seconds. Anger broke the silence with "I say we _find_ where she's gone to and go there and MAKE HER PAY!"

"I'm going to have to agree with Anger..." Brave said, cracking her knuckles.

"Why would you want to do that?" Affection asked. "Even if you guys are right about none of this being real, which I doubt, she's done a wonderful thing by marrying us, and-"

"Oh, yeah, wonderful for _you_," Anger said, towering over Affection.

"We are not here to argue, but to give ideas," said Wisdom, stepping between the two. "Ideas of all kinds, anything that will help. We must respect each other's ideas."

"I say we stay married," said Rude, lifting her soda in mock-toast. "Beast Boy's gotten pretty hot over the past two years, rawr!"

"Except those kind of ideas..." Wisdom finished, nicely breaking the awkward silence that followed Rude's comment.

"We need to examine this logically," said Knowledge(who else?). "There must be a simpler solution to all this than we realize..."

"Ooh! Ooh! I know!" said Happy, raising her hand like a schoolchild.

"Yes, Happy?" said Raven, hoping this wouldn't be something stupid.

Happy thought for a moment, before her smile turned slightly sheepish. "Whoops! I forgot!" she laughed heartily at this, happy as ever.

"I think I might just know of a simpler solution..." Rude began.

"NO," said Anger, quite effectively.

"I still say we find that little bubbly girl and beat her up!" said Brave, fist pumping.

"Violence is never the answer, Brave," said Wisdom.

Brave looked at her funny. "Raven's a superhero, Wisdom..."

Wisdom sweatdropped, looking a little startled she'd been beaten in a philosophical argument. Happy suddenly brightened...more brightly than usual, I mean. "I remember!" she shouted.

"Yes, Happy?" Raven asked.

"We could kiss him and see if you and him both like it!" she said. "If we do, we stay married!" and she giggled again.

"I like her idea," said Affection.

"Well, I don't," said Anger.

Raven sighed. _-This is going to be just one long debate...-_

She had no idea how right she was.

**0 0 0**

Beast Boy was bored. Very, very bored. He'd been spying on the Titans for two hours now, and still nothing to confirm anything one way or the other...and he needed absolute confirmation, not just conjecture, no matter how good a conjecture it was. _-Come on, concrete evidence...it's been long enough...I don't want to stay a fly here forever...-_

"So, Starfire..." said Nightwing, after a lull in their conversation.

Starfire turned. "Yes?"

"Do you, maybe, want to go to the park later? Just you and me?"

"That would be most glorious!" said Starfire. Then, she bent over and gave Nightwing a small peck on the cheek. He visibly blushed.

_-Wow. That just made the fly a little sick it was so sweet...-_ thought Beast Boy.

Nightwing cleared his throat. "Well, then, since you said yes to that, do you maybe, wanna...um, catch a movie, afterwards?"

Starfire smiled. "Nightwing, I have told you so many times that you don't need to be nervous around me! I would be delighted to go anywhere you wanted me to..."

Nightwing blushed harder, if that was possible. Cyborg suddenly turned off his Gamestation and began to walk out. Starfire and Nightwing looked confused until Cyborg opened his smirking mouth, as he looked over his shoulder. "Y'know, if y'all wanted some privacy, you didn't have to 'sweet' me out...you could have just asked..." Starfire and Nightwing both blushed heavily at this, and Beast Boy would have laughed had the fly been capable. "I'll be in the training room...you two enjoy your little make-out session..."

THWACK!

"Oh dear," said Starfire, even more innocently than usual. "Please forgive me, dear friend, as I seem to have accidentally thrown a wooden cooking utensil at the back of your head...I truly do apologize for this..." And she started to giggle, a slightly-less innocent giggle than usual. Nightwing chuckled, and Beast Boy laughed even harder...on the inside, of course. After the laughter died down, there was a few moments of silence.

Cyborg fell onto the ground, face first.

Starfire gasped, concern a bit more real this time. She ran over to Cyborg and kneeled down quickly. "Oh," she said, unsure of what to do, "I believe I have hit friend Cyborg far too forcefully!"

Nightwing, of the opposite temperament than Starfire, was nonchalantly pouring himself some coffee. "I'd say you didn't hit him forcefully enough," he said. A small smirk appeared on his face. "You didn't pierce his skull..."

Starfire suddenly smiled a 'That's really funny, but I'm trying not to laugh,' smile before covering her mouth and beginning to giggle. "Oh, Nightwing!" she said between failed-to-be-suppressed giggles, "That is...mmph...not a kind thing...hee hee...to say about our friend...ha ha ha!"

Nightwing chuckled softly. "Well, at least we're alone now...coffee?"

Starfire got out the last of her laughter, gently setting Cyborg on the couch as she did so. "Yes, please," she said, then giggled a couple more times...apparently, the laughter wasn't quite all gone yet. Nightwing handed her a steaming mug, then drank from his own. Starfire put a few teaspoonfuls of sugar in her coffee, along with a generous helping of cream, before she took her first sip, after which she let off a gentle "Mmm..." She suddenly looked up at the clock, as if remembering something.

10:39.

"Nightwing," she said, "Do you, perhaps, know where friends Beast Boy and Raven are?"

Nightwing thought a little, then blushed slightly. "I...I suppose they're doing what all married couples do..."

_-Jackpot!-_ thought Beast Boy._-Wait...that came out wrong. Very wrong.-_

"Oh, of course!" said Starfire, now blushing as well. "Um...we most likely should not discuss this matter any more, yes?"

"Yes indeed..." said Nightwing, seeming extremely grateful to drop the conversation.

Beast Boy was about to fly off, when he heard Starfire say something...interesting.

"So...this would mean that we are...alone? Truly?"

_-Okay, I was wrong...-_ thought Beast Boy. _-THIS is hitting the jackpot!-_

"Well, um..." said Nightwing, blushing yet again, "Yes, I suppose that would be the case...then again..." and he indicated Cyborg, "We're _never_ alone so long as he's around."

Starfire giggled for the umpteenth time. "That is close enough for me..." and she slowly leaned in towards Nightwing...

_-Okay, NOW I fly off!-_ Beast Boy thought, doing just that. _-And here I was, hoping for a bit more conversation to tease them about later before the action I don't wanna watch...-_ Even so, he spared a passing glance back at the lovebirds before zooming off...actually, a double take. _-Okay...I had no idea Nightwing could bench-press Starfire...-_

**0 0 0**

It was as close to abject chaos in Nevermore as Raven's mind could possibly become...without demonic help, that is. In short, it was a massive group bicker.

"Are you INSANE?!" shouted Anger. "Of COURSE we need to find out-"

"YOU'RE the insane one!" Affection responded. "Beast Boy is in love with us, and-"

"That fortuneteller chick has gotta pay-" said Brave.

"Ooh, ooh, or maybe we could try making some cookies!" shouted Happy.

"How on earth would COOKIES help?!"

"I don't know," responded Happy to Anger, "But I'm really hungry...and you can't make a decision on an empty stomach!"

"You wanna know what I think?" asked Rude, the usual amount of slight seductiveness in her tone.

"NO!" said almost everyone there.

"People, we are not acting logically!" shouted Knowledge, trying to calm everyone down. In response everyone moved in closer to each other and began shouting. Knowledge, in the middle of the crowd, turned to Wisdom, who was outside the crowd. "A little help, here?"

"Sometimes, in an argument," said Wisdom, "The best side to take is no side at all."

"Which is basically another way of saying you're a coward!" said Brave, subconsciously wanting someone else to argue with.

"Excuse me?" said Wisdom, raising her eyebrow...the most anger she'd shown in a month.

From that point on in, though several people had always been talking at the same time for quite a while, now they were all talking together...ALL of them...ALL together...

Well, maybe not all of them. Raven was sitting on the grass nearby, having given up trying to control herself. Timid, who up until this point was doing nothing but cowering away from the argument, had suddenly had an idea. She slowly crawled over to Raven, so that no one could see her and maybe yell at her, and then quietly said: "May I say something?"

Raven nodded, then bent her head towards Timid, as if to say 'It's okay if you want to whisper.' Timid gratefully leaned up a little (she had always been the shortest...or perhaps simply the most crouched) and did just that. Raven listened for a while, the nodded again.

"Alright," Raven said, "And, you may want to cover your ears." Timid nodded...timidly and did just that. Raven stood up, took a big breath, and _yelled._

"QUIIIIIIIEEEEEEEET!"

Everything was quiet.

Raven took another breath. "Thank you," she said. Timid uncovered her ears slowly, as if she was afraid Raven was going to yell again...which, coincidentally, she was afraid of. Raven continued. "Timid has come up with a good idea."

"That's a first..." mumbled Rude. Brave elbowed her not-so-gently. "Ow..."

"Timid thinks that Beast Boy and we should go to where the fortuneteller girl was and look for clues. Depending on what we find, we'll decide how to proceed from there. Is everyone agreed?"

There was a bit of murmuring, but no objections. Raven gave a sigh of relief. "Good," she said. "You all are allowed to go back to whatever you were doing before, now. I'm going back outside the mirror."

Several emotions waved their goodbyes as a new portal, perhaps a relative of the first one, appeared above Raven's head and she was whisked away. And as she was whisked away, she could only think about one thing...

_-We now have the first step to a solution,-_ Raven thought, _-But I'm a LOT less calm now than I was when I came in here.-_

**0 0 0**

"Bored, bored, so very bored, I sit here motionless, just like a sheathed sword..."

It was now 11:43. Beast Boy was bored. That's why he was singing the "I'm very bored" song. It wasn't helping.

"Maybe I could get in a quick nap..." Beast Boy said to no one in particular. He readjusted himself in his chair (Raven's chair?) and gently closed his eyes, feeling sleep slowly overtake hi-

WHHHHHOOOOOOOSSSSH!

Beast Boy literally jumped three feet out of the chair. Luckily for him, Raven wasn't_ quite_ back to see him do so. He stood up quickly as Raven materialized from a giant windstorm...or something similar to that, he was too busy checking for bruises to listen. He sat back down in the chair, the picture of alertness, just before Raven opened her eyes.

"Welcome back! How was your trip to Otherworld?" he asked.

Raven ignored the crack. "Hello to you too. Been waiting long?"

"Nah," said Beast Boy, lying. "But man, do I have some stuff to tell you...well, actually, only a couple things, but they're important!"

"If it involves ninjas, Beast Boy, then I don't really care..."

Beast Boy thought a bit. "Would you consider Robin a ninja?"

**0 0 0**

Speaking of Robin, the one known as Nightwing was just finishing his makeout session with Starfire, and was thoroughly glad Cyborg had been knocked unconscious.

He gasped for air between words. "Wow..." he said, "Remind me...to be alone with you...more often..."

Starfire panted as well, wiping sweat off her head. "I shall..try my best!" she said, giving a little mock-salute.

Robin chuckled and leaned back on the sofa. He blushed slightly as Starfire leaned back too...mainly because she leaned back on top of him. But she wasn't doing so to try to, ahem "turn him on" (at least it didn't appear so), but rather just wanted to cuddle with her man a bit. Snuggle, perhaps, would be a better word to describe it. Nuzzling? At any rate, Nightwing did not mind.

_-I am so stinkin' lucky...-_ he thought. _-But I swear, I am never going to understand Starfire...one minute she's all concerned, the next she's as cheery and flowery as ever...and I have never seen anyone, even Raven, become more evil as Starfire does when she gets angry...-_ And he shivered. _-Still, it takes a lot to really get her angry...unless you start making fun of relationships, apparently...-_ and he looked over to Cyborg, who was now gently snoring on the couch. He smiled. _-But I have got to say, the thing I understand the least about her is how she can be so...seductive and so darn innocent at the same time!-_

Starfire giggled. "It is one of my many talents," she said, and then winked, an innocent, seductive wink.

Nightwing went wide-eyed, then blushed. "I was...speaking out loud, wasn't I?" Starfire nodded. "About when did I start?" Before Starfire could answer, Cyborg started groaning and shifting, all sure signs he was about to get up. Starfire "eep"ed, leaped up and flew to the kitchen counter, grabbing a random assortment of ingredients and throwing them haphazardly onto various types of bowls and plates in various places...she could always claim it was some new Tameranean dish that went somewhat awry. Nightwing went for a simpler approach: he sat up, grabbed the morning paper, turned to a certain page, and leaned forward, "reading". Starfire started whistling, completing the picture of not-so-innocence.

Cyborg groaned again, then sat up. "W...what happened?" He asked. "Feels like a cement block hit the back of my head..."

Nightwing smiled again, looked towards the lower-right hand corner of the page...and saw it. "It" being the report on what movies were playing at the new multi-plex theater.

Three action movies.

Three horror flicks.

A kiddy show.

A sci-fi saga.

Nothing you should ever go on a date to.

Nightwing smacked himself on the forehead while Starfire lied through her teeth about the circumstances of the situation to Cyborg. _-Nice job, Boy Wonder...-_ he thought.

**0 0 0**

"Nightwing? Interesting..." said Raven, thinking over what Beast Boy had just said. There were a few moments of silence.

"What?" Raven asked, because Beast boy was staring.

"I'm waiting to hear about what you have to say," Beast Boy responded.

"You need to learn to be patient, Beast Boy," said Raven.

"Well, I haven't learned yet, so..." Beast boy motioned for her to continue.

Raven sighed. "We need to go to that carnival. Maybe there will be a clue of some sort somewhere around there as to what we should do next."

"Sounds like a plan!" Beast Boy responded. Then he started staring again, now with that _-stupid...-_ grin on his face.

"What now?" asked Raven, feeling as if she was going to explode.

"And the rest?" Beast Boy asked. Raven looked confused. "You can't have been gone for three hours without a story to tell..."

"Beast Boy, believe it or not, I do not want you learning about the dark recesses of my mind..." responded Raven.

Silence.

"Translation: You found out something very embarrassing and don't want me knowing about it," Beast Boy clarified.

"What?" Raven asked, pretending not to be startled by the accuracy of what he said.

"It's cool," he said, "You don't have to tell me everything about yourself if you don't want me to know...I understand." With that, he got up and started walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Raven. Beast Boy turned.

"To...the Voodoo Queen's haunt? Duh..." he said.

"We can both fly, Beast Boy," said Raven, "We can go out the window."

"Yeah, but I'm hungry," said Beast Boy. "I haven't had breakfast, and it's almost time for lunch!"

"You can stop at some restaurant somewhere on the way," Raven said, "Just...come on!"

"Nah, I'd really just prefer to-"

"I _said_ come on!" snapped Raven suddenly. Beast Boy moved his head back slightly in astonishment, and then got a look of understanding.

"Oh...you don't want to face the others, who happen to think that we're married..." Beast Boy said.

"Glad you understand," said Raven. "Now, let's just..."

"Ah, ah, ah..." Beast boy mock scolded.

Raven turned, ready to blast Beast boy if needed. "Beast Boy...you wouldn't dare..." But he just stood there, a stupid smile on his face. "If we find this Voodoo Queen, or whatever she called herself then maybe we won't ever have to face the others like this at all! So why would you want to face them now?"

"Easy, Raven..." Beast Boy said. "It's okay if you don't want to face them..."

Raven gave a sigh of relief. "Good...now-"

"But I, personally, want to face them."

Cue Big-Eyed Raven. "WHAT?!"

"I like adventure," explained Beast Boy, "And fun, and a little bit of danger, and doing stupid stuff...and besides all that, more than likely we will have to face them sooner or later..."

Raven stood more slack-jawed than she could comfortably become. Finally, she snapped out of it and turned towards the window again. "Fine!" she said. "You go do...whatever! I don't care! I'm going to look for clues!"

"Okay, have fun!" said Beast Boy. Raven grunted. Unseen by her, Beast boy struck a pose of mock-heavy-thinking. "Although..."

Raven ignored him and kept walking.

"All things considered, I probably shouldn't go in there alone...you know how I can say stupid things sometimes...and without someone like you there to help clean up the mess, well..."

Raven was no longer ignoring him. In fact, she was downright terrified. She looked back to Beast Boy. He was inspecting his uniform for lint that wasn't there. After finding an imaginary piece, he picked it up, scrutinized it, and then flicked it off before giving a sidelong glance and smile to Raven and then going right back to it.

Raven stood in thought for a second...thought as to how to get out of a mess such as this. No thought came, so finally she sighed, and said. "Fine...let's go..."

Beast Boy stopped picking for lent, gave off that laugh of his (along with one of his famous grins), and ran out the door. Raven followed, keeping about half-pace with Beast Boy and not really caring._-Why...WHY does he insist on annoying me so?!-_

**0 0 0**

Beast Boy jumped into the common room, landing on his knees and sliding a good three feet before stopping "Good morniiiiiing, Jump City!" And as he finished with the 'y' in 'Jump City', Raven walked into the common room, heading straight for the herbal tea...she_really_ needed herbal tea right now...

"Good morning, friends!" said Starfire.

"Mornin', Beast Boy," said Nightwing. "Good morning, Raven."

"Morning," said Raven, half-heartedly.

"You two are up kind of late..." Nightwing asked. In fact, in his memory, this had been the latest they'd ever gotten up since...ever. He was kind of worried. Before he could voice his worries, Cyborg had paused his Gamestation, turned, and said...

"Yeah! What's the matter?" he raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Late night last night-OW!" He turned to the person who had just smacked him upside the head. "Starfire, what-"

"On my planet," said the now-quite-angry alien girl, "One who would discuss such matters, especially in jest, _especially_directly to the ones they were jesting about, would be considered to be no more than a KLARNON BOSIMPHONIZER!"

"WHAT?!" shouted Cyborg, who still retained some of his former mastery of the Tameranean language.

In response, Starfire gave a "Hmph!" and turned her head and body, but her head first, away from Cyborg and walked away. All this commotion took the attention off of Raven and Beast Boy, allowing them to stop blushing and try and remain in character. Nightwing and Cyborg turned back to the changeling and the empath, Cyborg's non-mechanical eye watering.

"Actually, last night was a late night," said Raven, "But not for the reasons you think."

"Was something wrong?" asked Nightwing, concerned again. Starfire looked back towards the conversation, now concerned as well.

"One word..." said Raven, "Cricket."

"Ouch," said Cyborg, while Starfire and Nightwing flinched. They all knew the horror of occupying the same room as a cricket for the night.

"Yeah," said Beast Boy, "We finally found something that annoys Raven more than I do!"

Everyone but Raven chuckled a little at this. Raven took the teapot she'd set on the stove back off. "And when we found that thing physically, I squashed it," she said, turning. She clenched her teeth. "Slowly..."

_-That's right, imagine Beast Boy as the cricket...-_ Raven thought. _-Channel that anger into your act...-_

"I still don't like the fact you squashed that cricket, Rae..." Beast Boy said. "Why couldn't we have just caught it and set it free?"

Raven raised an eyebrow in response. Inside, she thought: _-Don't focus your anger that much...Beast Boy will blow up for real, and that'll be bad...-_

"Friend Raven, are you certain you are feeling alright?" asked Starfire.

"I'm fine, Star..." said Raven, "Just...a little tired, is all..." and she brought the newly-poured cup of tea to her lips. It calmed and warmed her upon contact.

"It is most pleasant to hear you are alright, friend Raven," said Starfire, beaming. She looked contemplative for a second. "You see, I asked if you are alright merely because when friend Beast Boy calls you the nickname 'Rae', you usually throw him into a nearby wall..."

"I know," lied Raven, trying to cover up her mistake, "But today, I'm too tired to even do that..." she yawned for effect.

Beast Boy suddenly snapped his fingers. "I know what'll make you feel better!" said Beast Boy, "Lunch! For two! At the best restaurant in town!"

"I'm really not in the mood for the Vegan Hut..." said Raven.

"Alright, then the second best restaurant in town!" said Beast Boy. "Mieux en Ville!"

"I'm impressed you can remember the name," said Raven. "But I'll be more impressed if you can actually get us in..."

"Hey baby, you know yer man can do anythin'!" said Beast Boy with a bad southern accent. The others tried not to laugh.

"Except pronounce the word 'anything' correctly?" asked Raven.

"Exactly!" Beast Boy responded. He stepped back and bowed, indicating the door. "Ladies first!" he said.

"Much obliged," said Raven, walking towards said door. "But if you try opening any doors for me I'm taking you to the doctor."

"Fair enough," said Beast Boy, walking after her.

The door opened.

The door shut.

Everyone still in the tower burst out laughing. That was a _bad_ southern accent.

As the laughter died down and Nightwing wiped the tears of joy from his eyes, Starfire walked over to him, looking thoughtful. "Nightwing?" she asked.

He looked towards her. "Yeah, Starfire?"

She looked straight into his eyes. "Why do you never take me to fancy restaurants as Beast Boy does Raven?"

Nightwing's eyes grew as big as saucers. Flying saucers. "Um, well...that's because, um..."

There was a long silence.

"RUN, NIGHTWING, RUN!!!" shouted Cyborg. Nightwing did just that.

"Nightwing!" shouted Starfire, taking flight after him. Cyborg ducked for cover underneath the table.

**0 0 0**

Raven and Beast Boy walked together to the edge of the island, just to make sure it didn't look like they were in a hurry. They didn't go in silence, however, thanks to Beast Boy.

"That was some pretty smooth thinking back there!" said Beast Boy. "I would have never thought of that cricket excuse."

"It's not too hard to think faster than you," said Raven.

"Heh, you got me there," said Beast boy, rubbing his head sheepishly.

"Although, I do have to admit," said Raven, "You are a pretty good actor...I would have believed everything you said, had I not known it to be false."

"What can I say?" said Beast Boy, "I've always had a flair for the _dramatique_!"

Raven looked at him. "Okay...don't do that..."

"What?" said Beast Boy, confused.

"The...accents. They get annoying quickly...like, as soon as you do them."

"Oh," said Beast Boy, "Sorry..."

"Yeah, whatever..." said Raven, taking flight-

"HOLD IT!"

Or not. Again.

"What is it, Beast-" and then an umbrella was in her face. "...Boy?"

"Looks like rain, still!" said Beast Boy. "And we don't want you getting wet!"

Raven looked at him a long time. "Beast Boy..." she said, "I can use my powers to shield myself from the rain..."

"Oh..." said Beast Boy, looking downcast. "Heh...I'd forgotten about that..."

Raven rolled her eyes, then turned and actually took flight this time. Beast followed as a hawk...

...with an umbrella in its talons.

**0 0 0**

Nothing of interest happened between Titans Tower and the carnival site, except that they noticed the date on an extra-large digital clock near Jump City's Banking Corp. It was the same year as it had been yesterday, and not two years in the future like you might expect. Or, as Beast boy put it, "It's like the universe has started two years sooner and hasn't given the calender the chance to catch up..."

The interest happened when Beast boy and Raven entered the carnival. That's when Beast Boy asked the question Raven had been dreading.

"So, um, Raven...are you ready to talk about...you know...what happened?"

Raven stood there motionless for a while, honestly thinking it over. Beast Boy really wanted to talk to her...but she didn't really want to talk about it yet. So...what happens next? In the end, she went with the legalese of Beast Boy's question: she was not _ready_ to talk to Beast Boy yet. So she responded that way: "I'm sorry, Beast Boy, but...I don't think so."

"Oh..." said Beast Boy, disappointed. "Okay...I understand..."

Was it the right choice, the one Raven made? No one here on Earth has the answer, but it was the choice she made.

It was only a second or two after this choice that Raven felt something. Magical energy. Definitely a clue. She ran over to the area where the Voodoo Queen was...both she and the stand were gone, as Raven had expected. Beast boy ran over next to Raven. "What is it?" he asked.

"Magical energy..." she responded, trying to focus, "I can't tell quite where, but...nearby..." Suddenly, her eyes widened slightly...most people probably wouldn't have noticed this, but Beast Boy did. She looked straight down. "There!" she said, before picking up a rock. This rock was special: whether hurricane or spring breeze, it would not budge from its planted place, but the gentlest nudge of a sentient being would send it spiraling...in fact, if you looked at it long enough, you would notice it glowed slightly. Raven did not know any of this, and therefore tossed it into the sea. Underneath the rock (or, rather, where the rock used to be) there was a folded piece of yellow paper. Probably a note. Raven picked it up, unfolded it, and looked at it.

"What is it?" asked Beast Boy.

"It's a note," said Raven. (What'd I tell ya?)

"What's it say?" he asked. She read it over, getting angrier by the word.

She held her hand out to him. "Read it yourself," she said.

Beast Boy took the note from her and began to read. And as he read it to himself, I shall read it to you...

Dear BB and Rae,

Hello! Enjoying, lovebirds? Perceive my enormous brain erroneously insane, no? (Try saying that three times fast!) Gotta kinda? I doubt not. All people perceive everyone differently. (And, yeah, maybe I am a little insane...) But, you're stuck like a dearly engaged couple now! (Try to enjoy it...)

Sincerely, the Voodoo Queen (But you can call me Elizabeth!)

P.S.: Advice! Of course! Sorry...

If needed, talk. Hope with all reason. Everything hated or ugly (On the inside kind of ugly, I mean...) stops endearment. Destroy those kinds of things.

Above all, though...put each other first. Have a happy life together!

NOW Sincerely, the Voodoo Queen (See Above!)

Beast boy was less angry than he was confused. "Wuh...what?" he said.

"Sounds like a bunch of nonsense, I know..." said Raven. "What she's basically saying is that we're stuck as we are and there's no way we can fix it, and that we probably think she's crazy, but she's not. Then she gives us some stupid advice on how to make this marriage work..."

"O...kay..." said Beast Boy. "That's...um...odd..."

They were silent for a bit.

"Well, I guess we're stuck together..." said Beast Boy. "But, hey, how bad could being married be, huh? Heh heh..."

**0 0 0**

**Inside Raven's Head, the Imagination sector**

**0 0 0**

_Hey Raven! Wanna try some of my tofu? Come on, it's full of soybeany goodness..._

_Video games aren't pointless! And neither is anime!_

_I wasn't sure what to get you for your birthday, so I just picked something out at random! Hee hee hee...Titans as bobbleheads...sweet!_

_DUDE! Quit meditating already! The beach awaits, and I've got you a new bikini, wink wink..._

_I figured I'd do something special for our anniversary...but the only color of streamers they had was pink..._

_Um...I kind of put the wrong settings on the washing machine, and, um...hey, how about a new handkerchief, heh heh heh...?_

_Hey Raven...Rae...Raven...How's it going Raven?...You up for some couch potatoeing...how's that...what am I supposed to do...so,maybe tonight you feel like...wow, I didn't realize you could scream like that!...Raven...Raven...RAVEN!!!_

**0 0 0**

**Back in the real world...**

**0 0 0**

"Um...Raven?" Beast Boy asked cautiously. "Are you alright?"

"Of course," said Raven, lying...terribly. "Wh...why wouldn't I be?

"Your left eye is twitching," Beast Boy pointed out.

"Just great..." said Raven, changing the subject. "Our captor is not only sick and demented, but also spouts rubbish when we try and find her!"

"Maybe the nonsense is her way of making sure we never find her...?" suggested Beast Boy.

"Who knows?" Raven said, walking out of the carnival. "There's nothing else here, anyway...let's go home..."

"Ah, ah, ah..." said a voice behind Raven. She sighed.

"Quit doing that," she said, turning around again.

"Okay, then," said Beast Boy a little smugly, "If you _really_don't want to go to Mieux en Ville, then I guess that..."

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on," said Raven, a little confused. "You mean you were really planning on taking me there?"

"Yep!" said Beast Boy. "I never make promises I don't keep! Besides, what if the others need to find us? They'll look there first!"

"True..." said Raven. "Still, are you sure you can afford it?"

"For you, baby, I can afford anything!" and he gave a thumbs up, teeth-showing smirk and closed eye along with it.

A short silence.

"Please tell me that was more acting..." said Raven, monotone deceiving.

"Yeah, don't worry, it was."

"Phew..." Raven breathed a sigh of relief. "That's a relief..."

"Okay, then! You hungry for French?" Beast boy asked.

Raven stood there for a second before saying an unsure, but not unhappy, "Sure."

* * *

So much for "It'll be a while before another chapter this long comes around..." Well, at any rate, the first half of the first day is over! As for my annual notes... 

"She had always liked the rain."

I don't know where this idea came from, but I like it, and I think it describes Raven pretty well. Of course, what's important is that you guys think it describes her...guess I'll find out...

"I should have KNOWN you had something to do with this!" said Raven, all logic out the window...not that you could blame her about that, really."

Raven blaming Beast Boy for the mess...bound to happen eventually, I got it over with quickly. Although her accusations weren't exactly logical...I'm sure yours wouldn't be, either.

"So...how did we end up in this sick fantasy?"

As soon as I typed that, I realized what that implied about me. In my defense, teenage boys have come up with worse...I should know, being a teenage boy. With the strange ability to turn into a fangirl whenever I want...and usually when I most don't want. Don't ask, it's a long and painful story.

"You've, um...how can I say this tactfully?" Beast Boy wondered. "Um, you've...gotten older..."

Don't ask where the decision to make the gang older came from...probably my way of putting Raven and Beast Boy even further outside their comfort zone than they already are. As for the Titan's physical changes...I wanted to make Beast Boy and Raven sound good, but not perfect. Hopefully I succeeded, but I don't know...I think I succeeded with Raven, but when it comes to Beast Boy I must admit I don't know what you girls like...my inner fangirl and I don't talk too much. I also described the girl's physical changes more than I described they boys, I' m willing to admit...you can bet if a girl (or homosexual guy) was writing this story, it would be the exact opposite.

"Raven subconsciously licked her lips. _-So...hunky...- _She thought, surprisingly, _-And he's all MINE...-_"

If I freaked anyone out by their reading these two sentences, then I've done my job as an author.

"_-The fortuneteller!-_ she thought, insight gripping her."

Raven's inability to remember what exactly it was the Voodoo Queen did...or her name, for that matter...just goes to show how much respect she has for carnival workers.

"Yep!" said Beast Boy. "You definitely...uh oh."

Thought the story was coming to a premature end, didn't you? Eh, probably note, but I'm willing to bet you thought she was going to get the rings off...yeah, you probably didn't think that, either...

"Beast Boy..." Raven started to point out how stupid and nonsensical that idea would be."

Typing Raven's reaction to this idea, which I used about two minutes later, kind of hurt my pride...seriously, though, there's a good reason why the others can't remember. It'll just be a long time before that reason is revealed...

"And what if they're RIGHT?"

Hmm...and what _if_ they're right? What _if_ all their previous life really was just a hallucination? Mwa ha ha...I like creating suspense in others...

"Sorry," said Beast Boy. "Empathy...but you can't deny the possibility!"

I've always felt uncomfortable when fics made fun of Beast Boy's lack of book knowledge without acknowledging WHY he was that way...even though most people who read Teen Titans fanfiction keep that knowledge in the back of their heads. This fic is going to touch on it, though...I just can't exactly put in the reasons why right now.

"Oh, I, um...I've never gotten to do any spywork with you before...everyone else has gotten to, even Starfire, but you've never joined in on my..." and Beast Boy did a bunch of random karate poses. "Secret missions..."

Imagine Beast Boy and Starfire in some camouflage ninja outfits sneaking around Titans Tower. Seriously, do it. It's great therapy.

"I just realized..." Beast Boy started, "Why do you keep a knife in your room?"

As soon as I typed the knife into the story, I was freaked. I figured the answer probably was best not heard, but I also figured it would be good to acknowledge the problem. I'm no less freaked out, however...

"What an incredibly well-planned coincidence, huh?"

I give credit for this sentence to the awesome cartoon Danny Phantom, which has now been canceled, and the final episode has been shown. Seriously, why wasn't this show more popular?

"I mean, we've been married for half a year now!" continued Affection. "I know that thought of yours came out of the blue, but that doesn't mean it isn't the truth!"

MAJOR PLOT TWIST!...Nah, I lie, it's minor. Still, I bet I startled some of you with the whole idea of some of Raven's emotions being attached to this reality. What will this mean for Raven? Eh, who knows?

"Very noticeable at picnics, that trait was. "

I have no idea what possessed me to write this sentence, but I'm glad I did.

"That was _Nightwing_."

Once I decided that everyone would be two years older, or four years older considering Raven and Beast Boy were eighteen instead of sixteen last chapter, it only made sense that Robin would become Nightwing. This was also a good "Hey, no one remembers you guys from before!" moment for Beast Boy, because, hey, he's Nightwing, and if he isn't freaking about it, this must all be normal!

"Though your emotions are capable of feeling and thinking now that they are more than just ideas and representations, that capability only goes so far."

This is all my philosophy, so I could be disturbingly wrong...but I believe that an idea cannot exist as an idea one minute, then become raised to a human level without ceasing to be just an idea. Though Timid is, was, and always will be Timid first and foremost, I am sure she would be _happy_ to just curl up in a corner somewhere and be left alone by the world, though she has enough _knowledge_ to know this isn't going to happen, so she instead clings to Beast Boy for protection and, to some extent, _affection._ You see my point?

"Yeah. Let's go with that."

The whole fly-sense explanation is a result of my realizing the problem...and if it bothers the author, it'll bother the fan, too. So, I did my best to explain the problem. Not that I did too well.

"_-And boy, are these guys oblivious! It's like an antelope stealing teeth from a blind alligator!-_"

...I had to come up with a metaphor on the spot, okay?!

"I say we stay married," said Rude, lifting her soda in mock-toast. "Beast Boy's gotten pretty hot over the past two years, rawr!"

Imagining Raven, even a part of Raven, even Rude saying this...burnt my eyes a little.

"Brave looked at her funny. "Raven's a superhero, Wisdom..."

I have wanted someone on a superhero show to have a conversation like this for so long...

"Oh dear," said Starfire, even more innocently than usual. "Please forgive me, dear friend, as I seem to have accidentally thrown a wooden cooking utensil at the back of your head...I truly do apologize for this..."

I loved typing this so very much...it showed an evil side to Starfire that I liked...as for them just leaving poor unconscious Cyborg to have a makeout session...I get the feeling something similar to this has happened before, and they both knew Cyborg would be just fine.

"_-Jackpot!-_ thought Beast Boy. _-Wait...that came out wrong. Very wrong.-_"

What Beast Boy meant was that he'd finally gotten confirmation as to whether everyone remembered everything. What it came out as...yeah, awkward.

"How on earth would COOKIES help?!"

It just occurred to me...Anger really needs to try some cookies, doesn't she?

"NO!" said almost everyone there."

Note the 'almost'. I leave it to you to decide who did want to hear Rude, and who didn't.

"Excuse me?" said Wisdom, raising her eyebrow...the most anger she'd shown in a month."

I have this weird feeling that if Wisdom ever got angry, she could probably kick all her sisters' butts from here to Sidney. Who agrees?

"Bored, bored, so very bored, I sit here motionless, just like a sheathed sword..."

I claim this verse of the legendary "I'm Very Bored Song" as my own. Still, feel free to use it, add your own verses...just keep the fact in the back of your mind that I own this verse.

"Would you consider Robin a ninja?"

Well? Would you? I know I do...

"Translation: You found out something very embarrassing and don't want me knowing about it," Beast Boy clarified."

Beast Boy doesn't always say the right thing...but when he does, it's usually _exactly_ the right thing. Anyone else notice this?

"Yeah, but I'm hungry," said Beast Boy. "I haven't had breakfast, and it's almost time for lunch!"

For those of you asking _"What happened to Beast Boy's hunger?"_...he was lying. Or, rather, bantering. Yes, he'd actually been able to tell this far in advance, and was just faking understanding a bit later.

Either that or it's a plot device. I'll never tell.

"All things considered, I probably shouldn't go in there alone...you know how I can say stupid things sometimes...and without someone like you there to help clean up the mess, well..."

Beast Boy is darn clever when he wants to be, isn't he?

"On my planet," said the now-quite-angry alien girl, "One who would discuss such matters, especially in jest, _especially_directly to the ones they were jesting about, would be considered to be no more than a KLARNON BOSIMPHONIZER!"

I share Starfire's opinion here, but to Cyborg he's just messing around with one of his good buddies who just happens to be married. Take your side and battle it out!

...Actually, don't, I lost the rulebook and I'm a horrible referee.

"They all knew the horror of occupying the same room as a cricket for the night."

..._(Eye twitches)_

"Mieux en Ville!"

BILINGUAL BONUS! If you know French, there's a small pun here...if you use Babelfish, there's an entirely different pun! (Of course, I had to use Babelfish in the first place...but I think that's an accurate translation...)

"It's like the universe has started two years sooner and hasn't given the calender the chance to catch up..."

I like this quote I made up. I don't know why, I just do.

"So, um, Raven...are you ready to talk about...you know...what happened?"

Part of the reason I put this in was to assure people that I haven't forgotten this plot point. Just because they're acting like nothing happened, and nothing actually happened in this world, doesn't mean nothing happened. And they know it.

"Sounds like a bunch of nonsense, I know..."

And it is a bunch of nonsense! But, if you can decode it, there is meaning there, I made certain of that. Why'd I make the note such nonsense? Because my Voodoo Queen is weird. Live with it.

"_DUDE! Quit meditating already! The beach awaits, and I've got you a new bikini, wink wink..."_

Imagining Beast Boy saying this to Raven, which I'm sure he never would in the real world, scarred my corneas. Probably. At the very least, it caused me intense pain...that said...

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Teen Titans. They belong to DC Comics and Glen Murakami. I also do not own Danny phantom, which belongs to Nickelodeon, and Viacom...I think it belongs to Viacom. Butch Hartman, I know it does...I also don't own Batman, which belongs to DC comics as well. If you're wondering when I mention Batman in this chapter...I didn't. I mentioned him last chapter, in the author's note.

Now that all that is said and done, one final note: God Bless you All...and see you in a week!

EDITED 1/6/08: Or the next day...a reviewer pointed out that Beast Boy slapping Raven to snap her out of her illogical rant seemed...well, illogical. Too out of character for Beast Boy. Well, I think Beast Boy sticking his finger up Raven's nose was out of character, too, and they put that in the show. Then again, in my mind, that never happened...or it was a massive set-up by Cyborg. At any rate, I couldn't think of anything Beast Boy could do besides slap Raven, except to just take her insults, and I don't think he felt exactly like doing that at that point...then I realized: he's a changeling. Have him slap her like a changeling would, but without physical contact! Hopefully, this seemed a bit more realistic...NOW see you next week!


	3. A Battle of the Mind

_(Pulls self from rubble)_ I...I'm ALIVE!! Praise the Lord!

In all seriousness, though, I am truly sorry for not updating, as my Internet was inaccessible for the past week, and I could find no substitutes...I won't go into detail, except to say it was my fault. So, since it was my fault, I'm going to give you guys the chapter I missed, the new chapter this week AND a bonus chapter for this week! Is that worth the extra wait?

Well, whether it is or not, good news: the first action scene takes place in this chapter! And it's a doozy of an action scene! YAY! Let's start!

* * *

"I still can't believe you got us in here," said Raven. 

Raven and Beast Boy sat at the opposite end of the restaurant from the kitchen, in a secluded booth. An air of thickness surrounded them through no fault of their own...perhaps it was the place's general snobbery? At any rate, the only lighting around was that of the nearby lamp, and it was rather dim at that...in other words, the perfect place for a romantic date.

"Well, we _are_ the Titans," said Beast Boy, grinning as usual. "Although, I've gotta say, it was nice of them to give us this private booth..."

"I wouldn't necessarily say that..." said Raven, scooting a little further away from Beast Boy.

"Yeah, you're right..." Beast Boy responded. "Mieux en Ville probably doesn't want paparazzi any more than we do..."

"Not quite what I meant," said Raven, "But okay."

"Then what did you mean?" Beast Boy asked.

"Look around you..." said Raven, tensing slightly. "Dim lighting...romantic atmosphere...private booth...French food...this is very, very, _awkward_..."

"Well, it's not like we actually have to start making out..." said Beast boy, slightly confused.

Raven only grumbled in response. There was a moment's silence.

"Wait a second..." said Beast boy, realizing something. Raven looked over to him. He suddenly grinned once more. "You said you'd be impressed if I actually got us in here, didn't you!"

Raven blinked. "That was acting."

"Most of it, anyway!" said Beast Boy, "But I know that part wasn't! C'mon, Rae...you know you're impressed..."

"Why do you care if I am or not?" Raven asked.

Beast Boy opened and shut his mouth, then thought the question over. "I...actually don't really know..."

He suddenly brightened again. "But I do know that you are definitely impressed with me!"

"I am not impressed," said Raven.

"Yes you are," retorted Beast Boy.

"No, I'm not..." emphasized Raven.

"Oh, yes you are!" Beast Boy said.

"No. I'm not." said Raven, anger creeping into her voice.

"Yes you are."

"No. I. Am. Not!" said Raven, now thoroughly angry at the fact Beast Boy was bringing her to his level.

Beast Boy was silent for a couple of seconds. Suddenly, "Are too."

"Am not," said Raven.

Beast Boy was slightly surprised she responded in kind, rather than end the argument totally. He pressed forward anyway. "Are too."

"Am not."

"You so are!"

"Am not,"

"Oh yeah, you are."

"Am_not_,"

"Are too."

Raven suddenly revealed her plan. "Are too."

Beast Boy smirked. "Sorry, Raven, but I've watched too many cartoons to fall for that one...which means you just admitted that you're impressed with me! Sweet!"

Raven raised an eyebrow. _-Well...it seems I've underestimated Beast boy just a tad,-_ she thought. She noted his victory dance, which he somehow managed to perform without leaving his seat. _-Very, very, slightly...- _She then reached over and put her hand on Beast Boy's arm to get his attention. "Stop. The waiter will be coming with our food soon, and I don't want you embarrassing me any more than you have to."

Beast boy looked down at Raven's hand, slightly creeped out. "Okay, just...please take your hand off my arm..." Raven looked down, blushed, and removed the offending hand quicker than she had ever moved in her life. She turned away from Beast Boy, vowing revenge on Affection later for slipping that to her subconsciously. "And you thought the lighting was awkward..." mumbled Beast Boy as the food came.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," said the stereotypical French waiter...except for the fact that he didn't have an accent. "Now, let's see here...grilled chicken, salad, and herbal tea for the young lady..."

"Thank you," said Raven. The waiter bowed slightly to her. Then he turned and grabbed the other tray.

"And ratatouille, rice, and water for the young man!"

"Thanks, dude!" said Beast Boy, giving a thumbs up. The waiter gave one right back, further crushing his stereotypical French waiter demeanor.

"If you need anything else, then please..." and the waiter gave another bow, much deeper this time, "Do not hesitate to ask!" And he walked away.

Beast Boy licked his lips and picked up his fork. Raven eyed him suspiciously. "Let me guess..." said Raven, "You're only eating that because of the movie Ratatouille."

Beast Boy looked up, fork comically perched in midair. "Well...yes and no..."

"What do you mean?" asked Raven.

"Well, Ratatouille the movie was the reason I first tried the dish...but now I just eat it because it's delicious and vegetarian! Unless, you know, they add some special ingredient to the stuff..." and here he looked suspiciously at his food. "And I specifically asked them not to, so that probably means that they did..."

"Uh, huh..." said Raven, now wishing she hadn't asked. "Well...enjoy, I guess.."

"Ah, ah, a-"

"I said stop doing that," said Raven, vein bulging.

"Sorry," said Beast Boy. "But as I was saying: you can't say_enjoy_ here and get away with it!"

"Wuh...what?" asked Raven, now very thoroughly wishing she hadn't asked.

"This is a _French_ restaurant," said Beast Boy. "You have to say bon appetite!"

Raven sighed. "Fine..." she said. "Bon appetite, or whatever you want me to say,"

Beast Boy smiled, bringing his fork down-

_**Doot, doo doo doo, doot doo doo doot doo**_

Beast Boy sighed as he and Raven pulled out their communicators. "Yes, what is it, Nightwing?"

"Sorry to interrupt," said Nightwing, "But trouble's brewing. Psykinesis is back in town, and we don't know where he is. We need you to drop what you're doing and find him fast!"

"Um, right..." said Beast Boy. "Um...who's Psykinesis, again?..."

Nightwing's jaw dropped shortly before he was pushed off camera by Cyborg, who proceeded yelling. "YOU FORGOT WHO PSYKINESIS IS?! Did you hit your head, or are you just goin' slower than normal?!" A calm hand pushed Cyborg off screen before Nightwing walked back on.

"Psykinesis," said the team leader, "Is the most wanted villain in the world today, next to Slade...and just like Slade, the Titans have never been able to bring him completely down. He's got incredible telepathic and telekinetic powers."

Beast Boy just looked blank.

"He's really evil, and he's psychic," clarified Raven.

"I got that part!" said Beast boy, a little angrily. "I'm just wondering why this dude's supposed to be so tough!"

"You have hit your head, haven't you?" asked Nightwing, raising an eyebrow.

"Um...sure," said Beast Boy. "Let's go with that."

"At any rate," said Nightwing, "Be on the lookout. We have no idea where he is or what he's doing, so-"

And that's when the kitchen across the restaurant exploded.

As people screamed and ran, Beast boy and Raven stood up to get a better view. They were only partially surprised by what they saw. It was a giant...thing made entirely of food and kitchenware. Two counters were its legs, its feet being four chairs, two stuck together to make each foot. Its body was a refrigerator, along with some generic foodstuffs scattered around it. A stove sat where each shoulder would be, and its arms had just been constructed out of the debris left after the explosion. Five loaves of each bread sat on each of the creature's hands, just like fingers, and sticking out of each the fingers was a large knife, or the equivalent.

"Think we found him..." said Raven as Beast Boy stood in awe, both a little unsure how to feel at the moment.

"Hold out as long as you can," said Nightwing, "We'll be there soon." And he cut off communications, never knowing Beast Boy and Raven never heard the last sentence because they were distracted by their table suddenly floating in the air.

"That's just a waste..." Beast Boy said as the table turned on its side, dumping everything off of itself, before floating up to where the creature's head would be if it had one. It sat gently, now forming said head upon the beast's body. Shortly thereafter, two unlit candlesticks floated up and landed on the table. They suddenly lit, giving the impression of two eyes. The figure suddenly spoke...kind of. At the very least, its way of speaking did confirm it was Psykinesis.

_-Raven...Beast Boy...-_ Psykinesis "said",_-How long has it been?-_

"You tell me, dude," said Beast Boy, cracking his knuckles. "And I know this is completely off topic, but I have to say that if you're going up against the Titans, you should probably try a construction site instead of a French restaurant next time..." And with that, the shapeshifter charged forth, turning into a raptor and closing the distance between him and Psykinesis rapidly.

Psykinesis raised his right hand.

Beast Boy suddenly started to float in midair. Shortly after he realized this, the dinosaur he was looked very panicked. Shortly after this, Beast Boy was himself again, still looking panicked. "Hey...woah! What's going on...?"

_-You are correct...and I would try a construction zone...-_ and Psykinesis chuckled, waving his right arm. Beast Boy went flying over to the other side of Mieux en Ville, through the wall, and into a dumpster in the alley.

"GAAAAAAH!" he shouted, a little redundantly.

_-That is, I would if I thought you might actually be a threat...-_ Psykinesis finished. Raven floated up behind him.

"Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!" she shouted, sending some of the leftover utensils straight towards Psykinesis. He didn't even bother glancing backwards, but instead sank into the ground, closing the hole behind him. In fact, he sank almost before Raven had finished her chant. Raven, in turn, floated there, astounded. Psykinesis came back up behind her.

Silently as he could, he tried to impale Raven with his claws, but she dodged just in time. She dodged several swipes, in fact, before he finally managed to take advantage of her focus on his arms and kick her instead. She floated back a few feet and looked up to see Psykinesis trying to impale her again...

Beast Boy, in the form of a tiger, suddenly jumped between her and the blow. He was stabbed in the shoulder and neck region, and then flung aside. He transformed back into Beast Boy to fix his wounds before going tiger again and pouncing again. Psykinesis swatted him aside like a fly.

Floating behind him again, Raven tried this time to move him instead of the objects around him. Before she could do so, however, he turned and fired a blast of pink psychic energy at her. She dodged the blast, firing back in kind. He moved his arm, creating a force field, also pink in color, _before_ she even managed to fire. Beast Boy jumped next to Raven and stood there, ready for attack and trying to think of one of his own that might work.

Psykinesis lowered his protective barrier and chuckled. _-Pitiful...-_ he thought to his foes. _-Your puny minds are like an open book to me...I know your every move before you can ever make it...-_

"Just because you know what's coming," said Beast Boy, "Doesn't mean you can stop it!"

"He seems to be doing a pretty good job so far," said Raven. Beast boy grimaced.

_-Ah, Beast Boy...-_ thought Psykinesis almost nostalgically. _-Full of confidence as ever...false confidence, befitting a fool...-_

"HEY!" said Beast Boy. "I've got every right to be confident, because-"

_-Because the rest of the Titans are coming, and they're going to kick my butt?-_ interrupted Psykinesis. _-Is that what you were going to say?-_

Beast Boy blinked a few times. "Maybe..." he said, now a bit more cautious.

Psykinesis suddenly fired another blast. Beast boy and Raven dodged in opposite directions, Raven sent a few "whips" of dark energy straight towards the thing's midsection. Psykinesis responded by sending out a few whips of his own, which hit Raven's at perpendicular angles and destroyed it self destroying them. Another blast of psychic energy followed, and he would have sent an extra blast at the place Raven was dodging to if Beast Boy hadn't tried to jump on his back as a gorilla.

As you might expect, poor BB failed at this, Psykinesis swatting at Beast Boy again. Beast Boy didn't need to be psychic to see that coming, though, and latched onto the conglomeration's arm. The conglomeration responded by sending a blast of fire from his candlestick eyes and scorching Beast Boy straight off.

Raven tried the "float up behind him" trick again, not to try and surprise him, but merely to hit where his defense was weak. This time, she tried sending two nearby tables into his backside. He responded by turning around, crossing his arms in an X shape, and slashing straight through the tables. He leapt forward as he did this, so he could get closer to Raven. His "claws" glowed pink as he sliced again, recreating the X and sending slashes of psychic energy straight at Raven. She dodged again, and the slashes went straight through the wall, cutting into the pavement outside along with some poor bystander's car.

Psykinesis leapt towards where Raven was dodging as the blast subsided, ready to slash her to ribbons. Beast Boy, now as a wolf, met him in midair again, as Psykinesis expected. He slammed Beast Boy into the ground forcefully enough to force the shapeshifter back into human form, and the hand he used to do it glowed with pink energy. He fired a blast of psychic energy, point blank, directly into and around Beast Boy, who let out a scream of pain as the whole restaurant lit up. Psykinesis then picked up the changeling, now stabbing into him with his knifed hands. Beast Boy groaned, barely fighting back death by use of his animal genes. Psykinesis through him against the wall, adding another blast of energy for good measure.

Beast Boy would have died that day if another blast of energy, this one made of pure sound, hadn't slammed into Psykinesis's blast.

Raven ran over to Beast Boy, shock fading as he slowly transformed to and from some animal she couldn't recognize, now fully healed...well, not fully. He'd lost some blood and he was almost unconscious. But he was alive. Raven breathed a sigh of relief and then looked up to her team, whom, as you have probably guessed, had just arrived.

Nightwing had just finished firing off some "witty" remark, Raven guessed. He looked mad...like serious mad. Cyborg was serious mad too, but his mad was more like a "You just messed with my friend, you're gonna pay," kind of mad. Starfire's righteous fury was going strong, judging by the size of the Starbolts around her hands. Psykinesis suddenly chuckled again.

_-Ah...it feels good to back in the game,-_ he thought. _-I have been looking forward to this moment, truly I have...you've all grown up in the year I've been gone! Especially Beast Boy and Raven...-_ And he looked straight at the ones he was speaking of. _-Yes...a buffet of information those two are...such thoughts rattling inside their heads!-_

"Shut it," said Cyborg.

"You're going to pay, Psykinesis!" shouted Nightwing. "I will _not_ let you get away with this!"

_-That's exactly what you said at Malaysia...-_ pointed out Psykinesis._-And we both know how THAT turned out...- _In response to this, Nightwing gritted his teeth, gave an animalistic growl, and sprang towards Psykinesis faster than Raven had ever seen him move.

Not fast enough, of course.

Psykinesis slashed at Nightwing, who barely avoided being impaled. Even so, he didn't escape unscathed, two scratches appearing on his shoulder as he was thrown backwards. Cyborg and Starfire attacked next, together, as Raven tried healing some of the minor injuries that Beast Boy hadn't gotten completely rid of.

Psykinesis put up his usual force field to the energy blasts of the Titans, and only brought it down long enough to fire a psychic blast that sent Cyborg sprawling. Starfire took advantage of this moment to try her eye lasers, but he dodged, jumped forward, and slammed her aside. Nightwing came rushing back in to try and knock the monster off its feet with his bo staff, only for the monster to raise its leg and stomp down on top of Nightwing.

This was Psykinesis' first (although, admittedly, only) mistake thus far: underestimating Nightwing's strength. As the monster was thrown off balance by Nightwing's great heave upwards, Starfire and Cyborg took the opportunity to launch some Starbolts and missiles, respectively. Both hit their mark, and Psykinesis was sent sprawling. Raven, who had just finished doing all she could for Beast Boy, followed, rising up through the smoke and chanting her famous mantra.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Dozens of dark whips were sent in the psychic villain's general direction, and the majority of them hit their mark. As the beast cried in pain, the massive windstorm created by the magical upheaval sent him spiraling into the wall, several of his "parts" trailing after him. A large table, encased by black energy, was sent after him, effectively destroying him utterly.

Well, okay, probably not true. He was down for a couple seconds, at least.

As the Titans stood, drawing air into their lungs, Beast Boy woke up, groggily. The others, having their backs turned, did not notice until he spoke. "D...did we...win?"

The Titans turned. "Beast Boy!" they shouted as one. Then they all ran/flew towards the green changeling. Raven got there first, enveloping her "husband" in a massive hug.

"Don't ever scare me like that ever again..." she said, holding him close. After a few seconds, she whispered softly enough that no one but Beast Boy could hear: "The hug is acting, but the words are true, got it?"

"Got it," he whispered back. Raven let him go, and he stood up to have Starfire take Raven's place in the hug-a-thon.

"Oh, it is glorious that you are alright, friend Beast Boy!" said Starfire, forgetting to restrain herself.

"That's great, Star..." said Beast Boy, struggling to breath. "But...I'm still a little tender..."

"Eep!" Starfire squeaked, quickly letting him go. He stumbled a little, but kept his balance. "Forgive me..."

"Heh, it's cool..." said Beast Boy.

Cyborg stepped forward. "You really had us worried there, BB..." he said.

"Yeah," said Nightwing. "But I have to say-"

There was a shuffling noise, a loud one. All the Titans looked towards it.

Psykinesis was reforming himself.

Nightwing recovered from the shock first, scanning the restaurant for anything that could be used as a tactical advantage. After a couple seconds, and just in time for the others to get into their battle stances, it hit him. _-Perfect!-_ he thought, before turning. "Cyborg!" he said. All the Titans glanced towards Nightwing momentarily, but Cyborg stayed glancing. Nightwing suddenly smirked. "I've still got the boom if you've still got the sonic."

Cyborg looked a little stunned, looked up at the area around Psykinesis's reformation, and smiled. "Sweet!" he said, forming his familiar sonic cannon. "You bet I do!"

With these words, Cyborg and Nightwing ran towards Psykinesis. They ran up the walls, jumped across, and fired their respective weapons. Psykinesis had just reformed himself. The cannon hit the disk. Psykinesis threw up his shield at the exact same time. The energies mixed.

A light pink ball of purest energy slowly began growing where an explosion should be.

"Uh oh..." said Cyborg, simply.

"Energy backup!" shouted Nightwing, running back towards the rest of his team. Cyborg followed. Starfire and Beast Boy first had the instinct to run, but being heroes, they decided to stay behind and help their team. Raven kept them from making that mistake.

"Get close to me!" she shouted over the familiar hum of an energy device exploding. "Hurry!"

The Titans paused momentarily before heeding Raven's words. But heed them they did, and just in time, as the energy finally let itself loose a second after Raven threw up her energy field.

The shockwave, the most dangerous part of an explosion in that in can literally liquefy you if it's strong enough, ripped through the restaurant like butter, and Raven's shield could barely stand it. The explosion itself, which is ironically the least dangerous part of an explosion, shattered what power it had left, sending the Titans flying. If they hadn't been superheroes with years of training, they would be dead. As it was, they were knocked off their feet and sent flying into the street. Nightwing was the only one to land on his feet, and barely at that. He got in a fighting stance, bo staff now drawn again, as quickly as possible. The others got up and did the same, minus bo staff, of course.

About ten seconds passed. The Titans didn't let down their guard, but they did become less tense. After a few more seconds, Beast Boy figured the fight was over, and if it wasn't...well, the others could handle Psykinesis for a split second while he got ready. The green changeling looked around. "Wow," he said. "I sure hope they have insurance..."

Nightwing was about to respond when the debris from Mieux en Ville went flying in different directions. A pink light began to glow, and it slowly grew bigger in some areas, and smaller in others, as if it were moving...which, coincidentally, it was. It was heading straight for the Titans, in fact. When it was about ten feet away, the light slowly faded, allowing the Titans to see the heart, brain, and body of Psykinesis for (at least, in Beast Boy's and Raven's experiences) the first time.

It was a ball of semi-solid pink energy, about a foot in diameter. Occasionally, a crackle of pinkish-white energy flared across its surface. The Titans were astounded. Beast Boy broke the silence: "THAT'S Psykinesis?!"

"I'm just as surprised as you are..." said Nightwing.

The ball suddenly chuckled...and although Psykinesis looked a lot less imposing now, he made up for it with his new voice, now unblocked by physical objects. _-Looks like I've had to take off my coat to take care of you Titans!-_ he quipped forcefully, moving towards our heroes once again. _-You really have improved since I've been gone...-_

"Titans, get ready!" said Nightwing, brandishing his bo staff once again. The others got ready as well, Beast Boy turning into an snake.

Psykinesis fired off a broad beam of energy. All the Titans dodged it, some less gracefully than others. Nightwing leapt into the air as he dodged, trying to bring his bo staff down onto the pink ball. He stopped in midair and was flung off unceremoniously. A curved, pink beam of energy appeared on the end of the bo staff, turning it into a scythe.

_-I don't know why,-_ mused Psykinesis, _-But I've always had an affinity for scythes...-_ And he swung the staff behind him, barely missing Beast Boy, who struck underneath the blow. Psykinesis floated aside, bringing the scythe down on Beast boy's neck. Beast Boy barely had time to turn into a cockroach in order to dodge...not that it would have mattered, since cockroaches can survive without their heads.

Raven and Starfire tried out their newest as-of-yet unnamed combo, in which Starfire melted the nearby remains of a lamppost into red hot metal, and Raven threw it with her magicks. In response, the psychic scythe of Psykinesis (try saying that three times fast) moved to cover the entire staff, making a nice shield as he twirled it around. Nearby, Cyborg tried a sonic cannon blast, but Psykinesis deflected the still-hot metal towards him. Cyborg dodged, but the metal cut through his arm like it was butter.

"GAAAAAH!" he yelled, then looked over to Beast Boy, who had just re-entered the territory of _Homo Sapiens_. "If you say anything involving the word 'disarmed'..."

"I wasn't planning to!" appeased Beast Boy. Before his and Cyborg's scintillating conversation could continue, a curved beam of energy headed toward them, followed quickly by two smaller ones. No one had anywhere to dodge, so Raven blocked the blows with another car. This proved to be a mistake, as Psykinesis picked up the pieces and threw them at Raven. They hit their mark, and Raven was buried under a pile of scrap. Then, Psykinesis raised his scythe, energy gathering around it. He brought it down-

This time it was Nightwing instead of Beast Boy who interfered. He did so by throwing a few energy disks, which interrupted Psykinesis's attack nicely by forcing him to attack the disks instead. As the smoke from the latest blast cleared, Starfire came rushing in with a massive onslaught of Starbolts.

"Hyah! Hah! Hah! Yah!" she shouted, her Starbolts noticeably larger than yesterday/two years ago. Instead of bothering to block them, Psykinesis put up a force field. The Starbolts dissipated harmlessly against it.

Cyborg was up next, driving his left hand's sonic cannon into a punch strong enough to break the forcefield and send both him and Psykinesis stumbling...well, Psykinesis floated backwards a little bit. At any rate, the villain recovered first, swirling the scythe around to meet Beast Boy's head dead center.

_-Nice try,-_ said the sphere to the alligator, sending it flying with a quick toss upwards. Beast Boy landed, next to Raven, head now healed, as a human. He rubbed his landing point and the scythe's entry point gently.

"Talk about a headache..." Beast boy quipped to Raven, who had just regained consciousness and was not in a good mood.

"I told you to be more careful!" she shouted to him...although she would have talked normally if it hadn't been for all the energy blasts.

"I was being careful!" said Beast Boy. "Alligators can take WAY more punishment than anything else I can turn into...it's like they're wearing armor!"

"Hmm. Whatever..." mumbled Raven, flying back into the fray.

"She says I'm not being careful..." said Beast Boy, beginning to walk forward. "I'm being as careful as-" And then he stopped in midstep as pain shot through his body. He hunched slightly, putting his fingers to his temples. "In my defense, I didn't know my previous injuries were having an effect on me..." he mumbled to people he didn't know were there...in other words, you guys. Shaking off the pain, he ran forward, now as a cheetah.

He got there just in time to dodge another scythe swing, this one in a wide enough arc that all the Titans had to dodge it. He transformed into a gorilla once the swing was past, dodged another one, and charged forward, trying to grab the scythe. He missed, as he expected, but Psykinesis's moving out of the way left him open, as he realized a split-second before it happened, to the scythe being grabbed by Nightwing. The two began a tugging match inside a projected force field meant to protect Psykinesis.

Nightwing proved stronger than Psykinesis mental powers, pulling the scythe away. He swung what was now a bo staff. Psykinesis dodged, but had to bring down his force field to do so, meaning that he was now wide open again. Still, somehow he managed to dodge energy blasts from all sides and even managed to shoot a few of his own. Two tense minutes went on like this before Psykinesis was surrounded. The Titans stood there, waiting for a distraction of any kind to keep the villain from reading their minds so they could attack. None came, so Psykinesis started talking.

_-Is that the best you can do?- _he asked. _-While you admittedly have improved, you're still nowhere close to even touching me...-_ And suddenly one of Psykinesis's leftover energy blasts that he'd grabbed in midair slammed into Nightwing's side. The other Titans were distracted by this.

"Nightwi-YAAAAH!" shouted Starfire as the pavement below her suddenly tied her like a rope. As this happened, Cyborg recovered and tried another sonic cannon, but that was deflected to Beast Boy, who dodged just in time to be hit with another pink energy blast. Raven, the naturally cautious member of the team, retreated slightly, still waiting for an opportune time to attack.

Psykinesis suddenly flew straight towards and through Raven ,sending her flying through the air before being grabbed by psychic energy waves and slammed against a building. She fell slightly before regaining control of herself, just in time to avoid being hit by another Psykinesis rush.

Then again, she wasn't his target. Nightwing, who had traversed several rooftops quickly, thinking as little as possible so he might not tip himself off, was sent flying into the air, along with a large chunk of the building itself. Psykinesis rushed through Nightwing again, and again and again and again and many agains before finally blasting him to the ground with an energy beam. A green pterodactyl flew next to the energy beam before turning into a similarly colored T-Rex and trying to chomp Psykinesis to bits. Psykinesis stopped the T-Rex in midair, swung it around once to build momentum, and threw him straight at Cyborg and the recently freed Starfire. They both dodged at the last second, before Starfire threw a ginormous Starbolt at Psykinesis.

Cyborg followed this Starbolt with a sonic cannon blast, the latter powering the former and giving the whole thing a weird sea-green tint. Psykinesis would have reflected this blast and added his own energy to it, leading to catastrophic results, except for the fact that Raven blasted him with her own dark energy as well. This forced him to put up a barrier instead. As the sound waves and smoke cleared, Raven passed through the now-gone force field and tried a wave of dark energy, disappearing like a curtain, at point blank.

He dodged Raven's first "curtain", and every subsequent one he mirrored with perfect symmetry. After a few rounds of this, he suddenly shot a quickened wave straight down, catching Raven off guard. "Oof!" she grunted, shortly before hitting the freeze disk Nightwing had thrown and meant for Psykinesis.

"Raven!" shouted the battered leader, more worried for his frozen teammate than he was about giving away his precise position, which he had only been able to hide so far because _he_ didn't exactly know where he was, either. He needn't have worried, as a once-again Pterodactyl Beast boy swooped up and caught her. Psykinesis charged up a blast.

_-Like shooting fish in a barrel...-_ he thought, taking aim at the now slow-flying dinosaur.

He was interrupted by Cyborg suddenly slamming his fist, sonic cannon charged, into him. He had seen it coming, but didn't think Starfire could fly that fast. As a result of this, he only had just enough time to change his blast into a force field. The suddenness of a blast of energy transferred over to this field and sent both him and Cyborg spiraling once again. He recovered just in time to see Starfire rushing towards him.

"This is for my friend Beast Boy, you marnab zilmorock!" she shouted, turning at the last second and kicking Psykinesis diagonally towards Cyborg. The psychic villain, believe it or not, was too dizzy to have seen that one coming.

He sped past Cyborg, who was smirking. "And THIS is for my right arm, and for Raven!" he shouted, adding (somewhat awkwardly) his own version of the battle cry in as he blasted Psykinesis with his remaining sonic cannon.

_-What?! No!-_ shouted Psykinesis as he was driven into the pavement far below. Up above, Starfire grabbed Cyborg's shoulders, flying down for a safe landing. Beast Boy and Nightwing, whose combined efforts had just gotten Raven out of the ice, rushed over as well.

"And this is for Malaysia!" said Nightwing, holding up another freeze disk. The he gave a "Hyah!" for dramatic effect as he tossed the disk at the still recuperating villain.

It froze the mass of psychic energy solid.

No one was celebrating, though, and Beast Boy pointed out why. "Who wants to bet he ain't down yet?" he said, preparing himself. The other Titans did so as well. They did so rightfully, it appeared, as the ice broke outwards, shards flying directly towards the Titans. Starfire and Cyborg did most of the work melting the shards, but Robin and his exploding disks did their fair share too. Suddenly, all four Titans were flat on the ground.

_-Enough of this!-_ shouted Psykinesis angrily. A nearby skyscraper suddenly was torn out of the ground and began glowing, brightly, with pink energy. Psykinesis flew into the air quickly and raised the monolith above his "head". _-Farewell, Titans!- _And he tossed the building at them.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

I'm sure you all knew this was coming, but it's still a relief to hear. A black beam of energy impacted the building ,pushing it back from its intended target. Psykinesis caught it and began pushing back. It appeared to be a stalemate _-Ha!-_ he scoffed. _-You think I didn't know that was coming?!-_

"I don't care _what_ you know is coming or not!" shouted Raven, eyes glowing with her signature white-dark energy. "I'm _going_ to beat you, because you've hurt too many innocent people to walk away unscratched!" And she pushed harder, the building actually moving a couple of feet towards Psykinesis.

This couple feet was apparently all it took, as the Titans finally managed to stand up. Beast Boy suddenly grinned. "It's like I said, dude!" said Beast Boy. "Just because you know what's coming doesn't mean you can stop it!"

_-Grr...after I deal with the girl, you're next, you annoying little green vermin!-_shouted Psykinesis.

"That's right, drag my skin color into this..." Beast Boy said, suddenly grousing. "You don't see me making fun of you because you're pink, do you?"

"Alright, Titans!" said Nightwing. "It seems Psykinesis only has so much energy to give...so if we keep battering at him, then eventually..."

"One of us is gonna hit hard enough to break through his preplanned defense!" said Cyborg.

"Got it!" said Beast Boy, running forward.

"What is he doing?" asked Cyborg, a little incredulous.

"He appears to be running towards the mean ball of pink energy we are fighting, yes?" asked Starfire.

"Beast Boy!" shouted Nightwing. "We don't have a plan yet!"

"I don't need no stinkin' plan!" shouted back Beast Boy.

"That explains so much..." said Cyborg. Raven would have said it, except she was playing tug-of-war in reverse with a psychic psycho.

Beast Boy ran up behind Psykinesis. He felt a thought. _-T-Rex again? You really are uncreative...-_

"And you," said Beast Boy, "Are way too confident!" with that, he transformed into the previously mentioned dinosaur, towering over the villain. He took a step forward, head crouched, and bit into the force field Psykinesis put up ahead of time. Still, this allowed Raven to push the building forward a little bit, and the downward motion of the bite brought Psykinesis down to ground level.

The Titans, seeing Beast Boy had managed to get this "plan" up and running, followed Beast Boy's lead, rushing forward and banging on the barrier. At first, nothing seemed to happen.

_WHACK. WHACK._

_BZZT._

_CRASH._

Suddenly, Psykinesis grunted. The force field got noticeably thinner, and the building moved forward a couple feet. The Titans, seeing their success, threw in a few more complex moves.

_CRACKLE._

_WIFFWIFFWIFFCRASH._

_SHOOM, SHOOM, SHOOM._

Cyborg grabbed a nearby lamppost and threw it. Starfire melted it in midair, repeating an earlier combo. The hot metal sliced through the force field, but it quickly stood up again.

_GROPOPOP._

_KLANG._

_BERAOAW._

Nightwing leapt backwards into the air, letting Starfire catch him. She spun around several times and, with a kiss ("For luck!"), threw him. He came down on the shield much harder than he would have normally and his efforts, combined with Beast Boy's gorilla punch and Cyborg's left hook, made the shield thicker. The Titans were confused until they looked over and saw the building had moved a great distance forward.

Raven was walking forward too, towards the building. She stopped about a foot away, increased the amount of energy around her hands, and_slammed_ her dainty fingers, knuckles, and palm into its surface. Another great distance was moved forwards. "Keep going! I think one more attack should do it!" she shouted, now able to speak.

_-No!-_ screamed Psykinesis, utterly fearful. _-Stop! I beg of you!-_

_NALPORONON._

_BOONONGIN._

_ZAP._

"Or not..." murmured Raven, but then, she wasn't too far off.

"Where's that hot-headed arrogance of yours now, huh?!" taunted Beast Boy to Psykinesis.

"You know the word 'arrogance?'" asked Cyborg.

"Shut up and give me the catapult..." said Beast Boy. He was referring to a combo he and Cyborg had devised...he figured that after two years, Cyborg would've made that necessary adjustments.

"You know we haven't tested out that move yet!" said Cyborg.

"Well, we are now!" said Beast Boy, proving once again that he needs no stinkin' plan.

"Okay, man, it's your body..." said Cyborg, shrugging. He then turned away from Psykinesis and Beast Boy, a catapult popping out of his left shoulder. Beast Boy hopped in, now an armadillo. "Yo, Nightwing! Hey man, stop beating on that force field and look over here!" Cyborg shouted. Nightwing stopped beating on the force field and looked over, a little angrily. "Um, I mean, Nightwing, sir! Permission to fire, sir?"

"You've gone from one extreme to the other, Cyborg," said Nightwing. "Nevertheless, permission granted."

Starfire giggled at the opportunity to try out this new move, (Or maybe at Nightwing's "wit") and then flew out a great distance. The green armadillo in the catapult rolled into a ball, shortly before he was flung out to Starfire. Without his right hand to balance him, Cyborg fell over.

Behind him, Nightwing walked up to Psykinesis spun around his bo staff a few times, and drove the iron bar into the force field. It slowly began to crack.

_-NO!- _shouted the villain, a little humiliated he was getting defeated so...comically.

Meanwhile, Starfire caught Beast Boy, tossed him slightly up into the air, caught him again, giggled, surrounded Beast Boy with green energy, and threw him. Hard. Beast Boy flew like a football, though he was shaped like a soccer ball...and he spun like a top, which isn't like a ball at all. After traveling back a great distance, he gave one final spin and transformed into a rhinoceros.

The building stopped moving, Raven ready to move it at the last second so Beast Boy wouldn't get hurt.

Nightwing drove the bo staff into the ground and used it to help his leap away.

Psykinesis "looked" up to see Beast Boy plummeting towards him, spinning having built up kinetic energy, Starbolt building up more, and horn focusing it.

The green rhinoceros Beast Boy was gave a surprisingly evil smirk.

Everyone watched the rhino's descent.

_-Ah, crud...-_ said Psykinesis, nicely summarizing the situation.

Beast Boy impacted.

Raven tried to move the building out of the way, but she needn't have bothered.

The massive explosion of psychic energy took care of the building.

Psykinesis's scream was heard loud and clear as all the psychic energy was driven from his body. So was Beast Boy's. In fact, Beast Boy's was even louder, and it echoedlonger in their minds after it had subsided. But then again, they didn't know when it subsided, considering that the sound of the explosion hit their ears long before the screams were over. The others could only stare in shock at the silhouette of Beast Boy, now human, taking a massive amount of energy point blank.

Finally, with one last resounding boom, the smoke came in place of the explosion, obscuring what had happened. Everyone spoke at once.

"BEAST BOY!"

They ran towards the smoldering crater, prepared for the worst. Seconds passed, ever so slowly.

The smoke finally cleared, and the team all looked around, frantically. They looked for a sign, a piece of cloth, a green, pointed ear, a stupid smile, anything. But it was obvious...

No one was there.

"No!" said Raven, more shocked than any of them. She hadn't even gotten a chance to say goodbye...or, more importantly, to talk about...that incident...

Starfire sniveled, then began to cry, burying her head on Nightwing's shoulder. Nightwing frowned deeply, putting his hand on her shoulder, eyes filled (even through his mask) with remorse.

"I tried to tell him it was too dangerous..." said Cyborg, "But would he listen? No! He never listens! He..." Cyborg stopped, suddenly staring at the ground. "He's gone..."

Starfire sobbed even more deeply now, and Raven began to cry too. Not much, just a tear or two...she was too shocked to do much more.

Nightwing tightened his fist, the most anger he would allow himself at this point. "Psykinesis..." he muttered, teeth gritted.

There were a few moments of extremely long silence. A cough broke it.

The Titans all looked up. Somewhere in the crater, a bit of dust started moving. A figure stood up. The Titans were shocked again, this time in a good way...unless this was another of Psykinesis's tricks?

The figure walked toward them, limping slightly and coughing. It looked up, blinked...

...and flashed that trademark grin.

"Beast Boy!" they shouted again, rushing towards him. They all hugged him at once, and he hugged back. He suddenly chuckled.

"Anyone get the number of that atom bomb?" he asked. The Titans chuckled, but not because of the joke...they were giddy. They let the green changeling go, finally.

"You green-haired moron!" ribbed Cyborg good-naturedly. "I told you not to do that move!"

"What can I say?" chuckled Beast Boy. "I've always had a flair for the_dramatique_!"

"Just try and control yourself next time, alright, Beast Boy?" asked Nightwing.

Beast Boy nodded...then suddenly frowned. "Oh, that's right!" said Beast Boy, turning towards Raven. "I wasn't supposed to worry you like that anymore, was I?"

"I think I can forgive you," said Raven.

Beast Boy smiled. There was a short silence, before Cyborg nudged Raven. "Well ,what're you waiting for?" the half-mechanical Titan asked Raven, "Give your man a kiss!"

Starfire giggled her trademark giggle, and Raven thought fast. "I would," she started, just before the answer came to her, "And I _do_ really want to, but 'my man'..." and she looked at Cyborg, eyebrow raised, who in turn looked very innocent. She resumed her explanation. "'My Man' still looks...a little tender."

"Yeah, kind of..." said Beast Boy, massaging his own lower back a little. "But don't worry...a couple minutes and I'll be ready for anything!"

"Glad to hear it," said Raven. Inside, she thought, _-Kiss him?! I'm glad he's alright, but...KISS him?!-_

**0 0 0**

A couple minutes later, police arrived, and the kiss was forgotten as they stored the excess psychic energy left over in a special storage container and began talking with the Titans over exactly what happened. A couple minutes into the talk, Psykinesis reformed himself. But, his powers were ineffective against the specially-made plastic dome that surrounded him, and he spent his time ramming into it very uselessly. A police officer suddenly waved over Nightwing, who in turn suddenly looked very sick.

"I'll be right back, guys..." he mumbled, leaving them to talk amongst themselves.

Beast Boy smiled, lately having been glad to be alive since...well, you know. Raven suddenly took him aside. "Yeah?" he asked.

"A bit overacting, don't you think?" she asked.

"What?...oh, the ready for anything thing...I don't know, I just thought that-"

"On second thought, forget it," said Raven. "But I still want to talk to you later...privately...about the argument."

"Great!" said Beast Boy, beaming. "Wait, I mean, not great, I mean...it's not great we have to talk but I'm glad we're going to? Um..."

Raven sighed.

"Bad news, team..." said Nightwing, coming back over. The Titans all looked at him. "Looks like all the property damage has set us back pretty steeply...we now owe the city $15,000..."

Everyone present gasped. "WHAT?!" they said as one.

"But, Nightwing!" Starfire said, floating quickly up to him. "I thought that the government payed for all the damaged we caused to the city with our battles?"

"Usually, yes," explained Nightwing, "But if we really mess things up, and especially if it's our fault, we have to pay some of the expenses..." he suddenly smirked. "If you want to know more, you can just ask Beast Boy."

All the Titans looked to the offending changeling, who looked peeved. He sighed. "Okay, admittedly, the 'Sheep Parade' was totally my fault...but the 'Merry-go-round-and-round Incident' was a total accident in which all the events were out of my control...and the "String Cheese Theory' was just not me!"

"But friend Beast Boy," said Starfire, "You were holding the block of cheese when we arrived..."

"And the strainer!" interjected Cyborg.

"Not to mention the fact that you were covered in marinara sauce..." murmured Raven.

"I WAS FRAMED!"

**0 0 0**

"Ah..." said Cyborg, for once the team had finished going through the red tape, payed everything off, finished apologizing to the owners of Mieux en Ville, and had the celebratory victory dinner, the sun had set. It was 7:29, and everyone was ready to relax. "Finally, we're back at home...I don't know about y'all, but-"

Whump.

Everyone turned around to see Beast Boy passed out on the floor. "Oh, great!" said Cyborg, worried again. "He didn't tell us he was in THIS bad of a shape!"

"Shut up and help us move him..." grumbled Raven.

**0 0 0**

Beast Boy had come out of unconsciousness, but still wasn't awake yet. In short, he was dreaming.

In his dream, he was inside Raven's mind again. He had been for the last several hours in dreamland, but only for about half an hour out here in the real world. He looked around, lonely...Raven's mind was completely empty. He had checked every nook and cranny. He had also checked every crevice, dune, and dimension. Nothing. He had done so in utter silence, with barely even a thought throughout the dream. He looked around again, and took a deep breath.

"HELLO!" he screamed desperately.

All he could hear was his own echo. He sat down, knees bent, folded his arms across his knees, and bent his head onto his arms. Universal signs of sadness.

Finally, someone answered back.

"There's no one here, Beast Boy..."

Not that answering back was necessarily a good thing.

Beast Boy stood and turned. A figure was there...he was about Beast Boy's height, but any other feature was unrecognizable...he was wearing a dark brown cloak, maybe black?...who could tell in this light? A chain hung around his neck...no, it was attached to his shoulders. The figure spoke again. "No one but you and me..."

Beast Boy tensed. The voice was monotone and gave no hint to either good or evil, happiness or sadness, friendship or hatred...

...so how did it manage to sound so scary?

"W-who are you...?" Beast Boy stammered.

"That depends entirely on who you are..." the figure said, vaguely. The monotone was still there...not a monotone with potential for emotion, either, unlike Raven's. Maybe that was what was so scary about it.

"What?" said Beast Boy, backing away...there was something about this guy that he definitely didn't like.

"I am either you best friend..." said the figure, leaving the rest of his sentence unfinished.

Beast Boy bumped into something behind him. He turned around.

There was the figure.

Beast Boy practically ran backwards, but tripped. The figure took a step forward and looked down. Beast Boy looked up.

"...or your worst enemy," the being finished.

Beast Boy's breathing had quickened. Sweat fell off of him like rain. Tears actually formed in his eyes. _-Why am I so scared?-_ he thought.

The figure took another step forward, and somehow offered his hand without moving said hand out of the cloak's long sleeve. "Don't be afraid..." said the mysterious man. "Take my hand..."

Beast Boy looked at the hand for a long time...a short time...no time...less than no time. Time was moving backwards, it seemed. He looked up.

There, in the blackness of the hood, he saw himself. He was on a riverboat. He could tell it was the past, somehow or other...so why did he look the same as he did in the present? He squinted. A hand appeared on his shoulder in the hood. The Beast Boy in the hood looked up, happily...Beast Boy gasped.

It was his parents.

His dad was holding Beast Boy's shoulder, and his mom was standing next to him. They both looked on him with pride. The Beast Boy outside the hood stared, for a long time. He suddenly felt a pressure on his own shoulder. He looked up.

There were his parents, again, still looking on him with pride.

It was his worst fear and his dearest hope, what had just happened. Beast Boy stood up, never taking his eyes off of them, the people he loved...weren't they? He blinked, and when he opened his eyes, there they were still looking...

But now, where their eyes should have been, there was darkness.

Beast Boy gasped, taking an involuntary step backwards. The figure spoke again, its monotone now gone. Now his voice had a friendly tinge to it, as if he was truly concerned for Beast Boy. "Don't be afraid of the dark..." it said, chest rising and falling as it breathed. "The darkness can be your friend...your power...your greatest weapon..."

Then, the figure didn't speak again, yet it did. A voice, the same words and same monotone as before sounded, but it seemed to come from outside the figure this time. The figure and Beast Boy's parents stepped forward.

"I am either your best friend," said the voice, as the three people besides Beast Boy in the dream moved in closer. Beast Boy didn't know whether to fight them off or embrace them. They came closer and closer, and at the very moment they touched him, Beast Boy woke up, and at the very moment Beast Boy woke up, the sentence finished. "Or your worst enemy..."

And that is why Beast Boy woke up screaming.

**0 0 0**

Beast Boy took several deep breaths, then looked around.

_-The...the Tower!-_ he said to himself. _-I'm safe...-_ and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Have a bad dream?" asked a monotone voice behind him. Beast Boy turned, screaming.

It was Raven.

"I'll take that as a yes..." Raven mumbled, raising an eyebrow.

"Heh...sorry..." said Beast Boy. He looked around. "Um...why am I on the couch, anyway?"

"You passed out at about seven-thirty," said Raven. Beast Boy looked to the clock, which read 11:30 exactly. "At any rate, I'm glad you're awake...although you probably won't be moving around too much for the next few days. Nightwing's orders."

"Really? Well, crud..." Then Beast Boy suddenly brightened. "Well, at any rate, I feel good!" and he stood up. "Yeah, I think maybe I'll get off of this couch sometimes when the Boy Wonder isn't loo-"

Shooting, searing pain. Lots of it.

Beast Boy sat back down, grimacing heavily. Raven sweatdropped. "Yeah...you're doing pretty well there...besides, I thought your goal in life was 'maximum couch time'?" Beast Boy didn't answer this, so Raven occupied herself by walking over to the kitchen counter, where a fresh pot of herbal tea was simmering. Beast Boy watched her, eyes half-lidded. After a bit, he spoke up.

"Hey...mind if I have some?"

Raven's head popped up slightly. She turned around. Beast Boy didn't_seem_ to be kidding. "You...really want to try it?"

"Yeah," said Beast Boy. "I've actually wanted to for a while...I've always wondered why you think the stuff rocks so much, so I figured the best way to find out would be to taste myself."

"That would be a good way to find out," said Raven, getting out a second mug. As she poured the tea, she kept talking. "So...why didn't you ever ask me about the tea before?"

"I kinda figured that you might get mad at me for asking to use something that really only belongs to you...so I guess I waited until I was sick, so I knew you wouldn't throw me out a window or something."

"I see..." said Raven, walking over and handing Beast Boy a mug._-Does he really think I'm that...angry? Of course he does, you idiot! You remember that argument!-_

She sat down on the couch, slowly sipping the warm tea. It suddenly occurred to her that she'd forgotten to warn Beast Boy about the most important part of herbal tea. "Watch out!" she suddenly said, turning. "It's hot!"

But, to her surprise, Beast Boy had already taken a great sip of less-than-boiling-hot-herb-flavored water, and he wasn't crying out in pain about his tongue. He smacked his lips a couple times. "Huh..." he mused. "Not bad...not something I'd go to the trouble of making every day, but I'd definitely be able to survive on it without complaining...better than plain water or diet soda, definitely..."

Raven was surprised once again. "Wow," she said. "Most people don't like herbal tea...too bitter for them."

"Yeah, it's pretty bitter," said Beast Boy before taking another large sip, "But I'm okay with that."

"And next you're going to start comparing the herbal tea to me, right?" Raven asked, spotting the cliché a mile away.

Beast Boy looked up from his mug, bewildered. "Huh? Why would I do that? It's not like you at all!" Raven blinked a few times. She had not been expecting that. Beast Boy slowly leaned back. "If I had to pick a food to compare you to, I'd think it would be...dark chocolate."

"How cliché," said Raven, glad that Beast Boy hadn't completely proven her estimation of his creative powers to be an underestimation.

Beast Boy looked at Raven. "Yeah, I know, the whole 'bittersweet' thing is obvious, but that's not why I'm thinking it."

"Really? Why are you thinking I'm like dark chocolate, then?" asked Raven.

"Well, first off, dark chocolate is actually the most chocolate of all chocolates."

"Excuse me?" said Raven, confused.

"Yeah, the people who make chocolate actually put in less cocoa into, like, milk chocolate than they do dark chocolate..." Beast Boy explained "The cocoa increase of dark chocolate is what makes it bitter."

"Really?" asked Raven.

"Yeah," said Beast boy. "And that's why it reminds me of you."

You could practically see the question mark above Raven's head.

"You know, 'cause you don't have any extra stuff added," said Beast Boy. "You're just...you. And that makes you awesome!" And he flashed, once again, that trademark grin.

Raven was a little flattered. "Um...thanks, Beast Boy..."

"Plus," he continued as if he hadn't heard her, which was entirely possible considering how quiet Raven had been, "Dark chocolate can't usually be found as anything besides dark chocolate...I mean, you've got chocolate cereal, chocolate syrup, hot chocolate...but you don't see nearly as many types of dark chocolate...dark chocolate won't change for anyone, but people still love it." Raven was flattered again. Beast Boy suddenly looked panicked. "In a platonic way, I mean!" he said, eager to clean up his mess.

"I see..." said Raven, slightly amused to see him feeling so awkward.

Beast Boy gave a sigh of relief before continuing. "Okay...but there's one other thing that makes me think you're like dark chocolate, Raven...dark chocolate tries to hide itself."

Raven was confused again. "What?" she asked.

"Dark chocolate is, well, dark," said Beast Boy. "At first glance, it's not a remarkable color...it blends in with the background...and yet..." and he looked contemplative. "If you put several types of chocolate on a table and compare them by sight alone, dark chocolate is what stands out the most...all the other chocolates look too much alike."

Raven was surprised, and she said so. "Wow...I'm surprised you were able to come up with all that..."

"To be honest, so am I..." admitted Beast Boy.

Raven sighed, but only half meant it. There was a short silence. "Thanks...for the compliments..." said Raven, feeling a little awkward.

"You're welcome!" said Beast Boy, glad to have made her happy. "Now it's your turn!" Raven looked at him, blinking. "You know...tell me about which food I remind you of!"

Raven sat there for a few seconds, taking a sip of tea. She set the mug down, and told Beast Boy honestly, "I'm sorry, Beast Boy, but I've never really given much thought to what food you're like..."

"Oh! That's okay..." he said, but Raven noted the tinge of disappointment in his voice.

"But," she said, "I'll make sure to think it over and tell you about it later."

"Cool," said Beast Boy, and then he picked up his mug of herbal tea and finished it.

There was a short, but not uncomfortable silence.

"So..." began Raven. Beast Boy looked to her. "So, what was your dream about? Or do you not feel comfortable talking about it...?"

"Nah, I'm okay," reassured Beast Boy. "Let's see...my dream was about...about...um..."

"Can't remember?" asked Raven.

"I remember how it made me feel..." said Beast Boy. "I was frightened, there was some relief, but mainly...I was confused. Really confused."

"Sounds like one of your dreams, alright," deadpanned Raven.

"Watch it," said Beast Boy, smirking slightly.

"In all seriousness, though, I understand what you're talking about..." said Raven. "Those kinds of dreams where you remember how it made you feel but don't remember why...those are the worst kind."

"Exactly," said Beast Boy. Raven took her last sip of tea.

"Well..." said Raven. "I guess I should be going to bed...good night."

"Good night, Raven!" said Beast Boy, lying back down as she got up. "I'd better get some shut-eye too. That dream took a lot out of me!"

"Funny," said Raven without smiling. "Very...funny."

"You don't have to fake it just because I'm sick..." said Beast Boy.

"Thanks..." said Raven, relieved...she was a great actor, except when it counted. She walked out of the room, throwing another "Good night," over her shoulder.

"Night, Rae..." murmured Beast Boy as he slowly fell asleep.

The rest of the night would be good dreams for Beast Boy...not "Hey I'm flying, there's an ice cream factory and a million dollars all for me" kind of good dreams, but good dreams nevertheless. He needed good dreams.

Raven, meanwhile, entered the door marked _Beast Boy and Raven_. She rolled her eyes at the thought of Beast Boy mentioning something about 'top billing', took off her extra accessories, and lied down on the bed. And as she lay there, trying to go to sleep, an emotion's voice came through loud and clear.

_-You know,-_ said Affection,_-That hug wasn't completely acting...-_

_-Shut up...-_ responded Raven.

* * *

Aw...cute...okay, not really. At any rate, my usual note-taking... 

"...in other words, the perfect place for a romantic date."

And I continue to put Beast Boy and Raven outside their comfort zone. It's a lot of fun, you should try it.

"I...actually don't really know..."

And neither do I, so don't ask me why, alrighty? Good! Sometimes the best way to make a problem go away is to acknowledge it...

"The waiter gave one right back, further crushing his stereotypical French waiter demeanor."

I figured that if everything else about Mieux en Ville was going to be stereotypical, why not make the waiter unstereotypical?

"You're only eating that because of the movie Ratatouille."

And also because it's the only French vegetarian food that I, the author, know. Also, something else: even though Ratatouille is my least liked Pixar film so far, it's still three times better than almost every non-Pixar film. Fact.

"_**Doot, doo doo doo, doot doo doo doot doo"**_

I just horribly mangled the Teen Titans theme song. I'm truly sorry.

"He's got incredible telepathic and telekinetic powers."

Ah, Psykinesis, the first Teen Titans villain I ever made up...although, to be honest, take away his telepathy and he's about as tough as Dr. Light...with a cold. Still, his telepathy makes him a great villain...I give anyone who wants to permission to use this villain for their own fan fiction, just so long as you give me credit.

"And I know this is completely off topic, but I have to say that if you're going up against the Titans, you should probably try a construction site instead of a French restaurant next time..."

He would have tried a construction site, too, except Beast Boy and Raven weren't there, and he wanted revenge for something. Something you'll probably never find out about, sorry.

"Just because you know what's coming," said Beast Boy, "Doesn't mean you can stop it!"

Words to live by when you're fighting a psychic. Or Slade.

"This was Psykinesis' first (although, admittedly, only) mistake thus far: underestimating Nightwing's strength."

You'll note something: The only times Psykinesis ever got hit were when he underestimated one of the Titans. Very stupid of him, really.

"I've still got the boom if you've still got the sonic."

Yay Sonic Boom! Really, though, why did they only use that move once? I mean, sure, it has specific requirements in wall space, but I'm pretty sure those requirements were filled at least one other time...

"_-I don't know why,-_ mused Psykinesis, _-But I've always had an affinity for scythes...-_"

Once again, a character's love for something stemming from my own. Scythes rock!

"_-No!-_ screamed Psykinesis, utterly fearful. _-Stop! I beg of you!-_"

Isn't it amazing how some people's personality takes a 180 degree turn when they're cornered?

"_-NO!-_shouted the villain, a little humiliated he was getting defeated so...comically."

And isn't it amazing how this entire chapter went from utterly seriousness to utterly ridiculous in the space of a few paragraphs?

"The others could only stare in shock at the silhouette of Beast Boy, now human, taking a massive amount of energy point blank."

And then right back to serious again? But, seriously, though...Beast boy took a beating in this chapter...even compared to the other Titans, who lost an arm, were crushed, sent flying over the horizon, battered, and...now that I think about it, Star got off pretty easy...that's weird.

"Give your man a kiss!"

Can you say 'awkward'? At any rate...you all wanted to see this. I know you did. I would've loved to type it, but...yeah. Too awkward and illogical, unfortunately.

"But I still want to talk to you later...privately...about the argument."

So why didn't she? Well, she forgot. Things got hectic as soon as they could have been private. Can you blame her?

"Looks like all the property damage has set us back pretty steeply...we now owe the city $15,000..."

I imagine the Titans have some sort of deal with the government where they get paid a certain amount of money for saving the city, as well as get provided with food and housing and such, while the government pays for and/or replaces everything that gets broken during the fights in the city...except in cases such as those above. No, you're probably not going to find out exactly what Beast Boy did, or whether he was really framed...

"He didn't tell us he was in THIS bad of a shape!"

Well, he _was _impaled several times, and energy blasted, and badly beaten...though his animal genes let him live, I'm sure he didn't come out of all that unscathed.

"In short, he was dreaming."

At first, I was going to have Beast Boy just wake up, no dreaming required...but then I thought that was too boring. So, I had him have a nightmare...the nightmare was always going to be about him meeting something or doing something in Raven's mind, but I didn't decide on what until I wrote it down. Speaking of...

"A figure was there..."

A slice of cake with extra frosting and a mention in one of the chapters I write in the future both go to the first person to guess where the design of ?'s outfit came from...not that wherever it came from has anything to do with this story, mind you. No crossovers here.

...I just realized, this is my first successful story that makes absolutely zero use of crossovering. Weird.

"And that is why Beast Boy woke up screaming."

I know I would...seriously, I creeped myself out writing that dream sequence...I really am glad I did, though, because writing it opens up doors to new plotways, which means the story will be longer, which means I can write more and you can read more. Sweet!

"Hey...mind if I have some?"

That's right, I made use of the plot device where Beast Boy tries Raven's tea...but then I subverted it by having him neither love it nor hate it. General contradictoriness for the win!

"_You remember that argument!-_"

Aha! She does remember it! So why does she not speak? Well, it's late, and it's been a long day...I don't think either of them are ready to talk at the moment. Maybe in the morning?

"...dark chocolate."

Another cliché! Hip hip hooray! Although, in my defense, I tried to think of reasons that were true about dark chocolate and Raven that most people wouldn't think of...and I think I did pretty well, too.

"Those kinds of dreams where you remember how it made you feel but don't remember why...those are the worst kind."

Definitely the worst kind...half the torture is not knowing. If I'm afraid for my life, I at least want to know why! Well, the dream's over, so Beast Boy's okay...

...or is he?

"_-That hug wasn't completely acting...-_"

Before you get any ideas, things were still purely platonic. After all, you'd hug your best friend if he or she had just gone through a life-death experience, yes?

By the way...

DISCLAIMER: Teen Titans does not belong to me. It belongs to DC Comics and Glen Murakami. Ratatouille does not belong to me either. It belongs to Disney and Pixar. The unnamed (as of now) property I will deal with after the contest is over, which should be pretty quick.

Well, on that note, the chapter is over, and the next one should be up by tomorrow! That just leaves the final word...AHEM!

God bless you all!


	4. Attack from Above

I'm really sorry, guys, but I'm not going to be able to get that bonus chapter to you this week like I wanted to...too much stuff happening at once. But, on the bright side, I will definitely be able to put it up next week...you know, unless something weird happens...

At any rate, another chapter, with some mild surprises and some plot-changing ones. Well, one plot-changing one...not even really a...oh, let's just start!

* * *

Beast Boy woke up. Through the curtains, he could see sunshine gleaming in...best way to wake up in the morning, in his opinion. He sighed. _-Why couldn't my room have gotten windows?-_ He dozed for a couple seconds in the sun before realizing that if his room had no windows, this couldn't be his room. Then he remembered:_-Oh yeah, the couch...I fell asleep in the common room!-_ and he started dozing again. He sat bolt upright._-The common room doesn't have curtains!-_ He felt a pressure next to him, and looked down.

Raven.

Beast Boy almost screamed, but caught himself at the last split-second. He slowly started to get out of the bed, trying his best not to wake Raven up...he'd already stirred her by sitting bolt upright in bed, especially considering he'd had to move his arms-

His arms had been around her!

_-Awkward...-_ he thought, gently rising out of the bed. He spared a glance down...his uniform. Much better than underwear...apparently the only thing that had been changed was his location. He sat down on a nearby chair, giving a small sigh of relief that Raven hadn't woken up.

He looked over to the watch. _-6:52?-_ he thought. _-Wow...guess all that sleep was good for me...- _He looked back to Raven, and remembered something.

"_But I still want to talk to you later...privately...about the argument."_

_-That's right,- _thought Beast Boy. _-I had forgotten about that...-_ and he thought for a bit. _-I should probably stick around until she wakes up, so the opportunity doesn't slip by us...-_

And that's exactly what he proceeded to do.

**0 0 0**

Meanwhile, in the common room, Nightwing had just come in and was yawning, still tired. He smacked his lips a few times, scratched his belly, and looked out the window. The sun hadn't risen yet, but it was starting to. Nightwing smiled in spite of himself.

He heard the familiar 'whoosh' of the common room doors behind him, and turned to see who it was. "Starfire," he said. She smiled. "You're up early."

"I wished to know how you were feeling..." she said, smile faltering a bit. "You...are feeling better, yes?"

Starfire was referring to the fact that Nightwing was unable to take Starfire out on their date because he was busy running tests on Beast Boy. He wasn't exactly mad at his green teammate for fainting, but he did feel bad about disappointing Starfire...then again, she would have been disappointed by the movies they were showing, too, so meh.

"Yeah...a little bit..." responded Nightwing.

There was a short silence.

"Perhaps, if it is so important to you, you would wish to make up the date some other time?" suggested Starfire.

Nightwing coughed. "Well...um...how about right now?"

Starfire's eyes shone at this. "Truly?" she asked.

"Of course. In fact..." And Nightwing coughed again, this time to clear his throat. He got down on one knee. "My dear Starfire, she who is a mile above all other females..." he said in his best upper-class British accent...which wasn't very good. "Would you watch the sunrise with me?"

Starfire giggled, then returned (with a much better British accent), "Why, yes, I would be most delighted!" And she outstretched her hand. Nightwing took it and kissed it, Starfire giggling again. He rose off the ground, drawing her nearer to him. She blushed slightly, but didn't hesitate to lie her head on his shoulder. He returned the blush.

And they watched the sunrise together.

**0 0 0**

Back at Raven and Beast Boy's shared room, Beast Boy was growing bored. So he made up a new verse for the "I'm Very Bored" song.

"Bored, bored, I am so bored, just call me pumpkin as I move like a gourd..." he sang softly. Raven stirred slightly, and Beast Boy. slapped his hand over his mouth. _-Light sleeper...if this marriage thing is going to last as long as that one note said, I'd better remember that...-_

He tried to imagine what it would be like to be married to Raven. His thoughts came as bite sized pieces of life instead of like Raven's scenarios. You'll see the difference as it happens...

**0 0 0**

**Inside Beast Boy's Head, the imagination sector**

**0 0 0**

Poetry readings.

Meditating.

Herbal tea.

More Meditating.

Yelling.

Herbal tea again.

Depressing cafe.

Depressing bookstore.

Depressing grocery shopping.

More yelling.

Lots of yelling.

More meditating...again.

Forgotten anniversaries.

Yelling because of the forgotten anniversaries.

And worst of all...

HURT EMOTIONS.

**0 0 0**

_-Not just normal hurt emotions either, but like...hurting emotions' emotions!-_ thought Beast Boy. -_That's like, three times as worse!-_

And as Beast Boy mentally panicked, life chose that time when he was most panicked to wake up Raven.

_-Raven!-_ he thought. _-What do I do? What do I say? How do I keep her from killing me? Is she in her underwear? I'm not sure whether to hope so or hope not...I can't survive being married to...-_

"YAH!"

Thump.

"...Raven?" asked Beast Boy, now snapped out of it. He looked around. "Raven?" he repeated, slightly louder.

"Down here..." came a muffled voice.

Beast Boy jumped onto the bed and looked over the side, Raven was there, having fallen off and now being tangled up in a bunch of sheets. "Oh. Um...good morning, Rae!"

"Help me get out out of here, and don't call me Rae," Raven responded.

"Not a morning person, huh?" Beast Boy asked. In response, the blankets were covered in dark energy and shot straight up, giving Beast Boy a soft-but-firm uppercut. Raven stood up and looked at Beast Boy, who was lying in a tangled mess on the bed.

"What are you doing in here?" Raven asked. Beast Boy, in response, began to struggle with the sheets.

After a few seconds, he responded. "I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count..." he said. Raven looked at him funny. A couple seconds later, Beast Boy looked startled. He paused in his sheetwork and looked up to Raven, eyes still wide. "T-the rings!" he said. "I...I meant the rings!"

"I figured you did," said Raven, "But the mental images you have just given me will unfortunately not be going away for a long time."

Beast Boy chuckled nervously, blushing slightly. After a few seconds more, he managed to get himself untangled from the sheets, and stood up. You could practically hear the trumpets play and see the background change to a bright light as Beast Boy stood there, triumphant over his enemy, the bedsheets. Raven, in turn, took advantage of these few seconds to levitate over a bar of soap and an extra change of clothes. She walked past Beast Boy on her way to the exit.

"Where are you going?" asked Beast Boy, imaginary fanfare fading.

Raven stopped and turned around. "Normally, I'd look at you funny and walk away, hoping that you might get the hint...but, this morning, I've had more than my fair share of awkwardness, so I'll tell you straight up: I'm going to the shower. Do not, under any circumstances, try and enter the bathroom until I leave, or I will simply kill you and deal with the consequences. In fact, jail might not be as bad as being married to you..."

"So you really don't know?" asked Beast Boy, ignoring the last part of that comment in hopes that Raven wasn't serious. Raven, in response to Beast Boy's question, looked blank. Beast Boy explained: "There's a bathroom built in with our room," and he pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "Apparently Cy finally caved and paid for a bathroom for everyone...or maybe it's just us?"

"I have my own bathroom?" Raven said in astonishment, eyebrows rising. She ran over to where Beast Boy was pointing and opened the door she hadn't noticed was there before.

"You mean, _we_ have _our_ own bathroom!" said Beast Boy.

Yep. That was a bathroom, alright. Sink, toilet, shower, hot tub...

_-Hot tub?- _thought Raven. _-Yeah, as if waking up in the same room as Beast Boy two days in a row wasn't awkward enough, let's let Affection fantasize about that, too...- _Then something occurred to Raven, who turned to Beast Boy. "How come you knew this was here?" she asked.

"Oh, well, I got bored waiting for you to wake up," said Beast Boy, "So I decided to poke around a bit and see what I could find...and I found a bathroom! Don't worry, it's all yours...I've already taken a shower."

"Why were you waiting for me to wake up?" Raven asked, now a little confused.

"Oh yeah!" said Beast Boy, remembering once more. "We were supposed to talk once we could do it privately! You remember, right?"

Raven started. _-Uh oh,-_ she thought, _-I don't want to talk to Beast Boy...I know something might happen, but...I'd really rather we just forgot the whole thing, and...-_

As you could see, time and nervousness had caused Raven's attitude towards talking to Beast Boy to spin around 180 degrees, to where she no longer wanted to talk to him. Although it was hard to tell from her panicked thought processes, her basic logic in justifying this feeling was that Beast Boy's near-death experience yesterday was a once-in-a-million thing...he'd never come close to being in danger of death before, and she had done a good job of convincing herself that that meant Beast Boy would not be experiencing that again anytime soon.

"Um, so do you still want to talk?" Beast Boy asked.

All of Raven's logic disintegrated against this simple question, leaving her with the simple thought that she had to get out of there...FAST. She quickly ran inside the bathroom and shut the door, Beast Boy being left behind without an answer...not a verbal one, at least. "Oh..." Beast Boy continued, his ears dropping and his face downcast. "I see...that's okay."

And he sat down on the bed, moping to himself.

**0 0 0**

The sun had just come up. Nightwing and Starfire spent a few moments together before he laid a gentle kiss on her forehead and they separated.

"So, um..." he started, "Would you..."

"Yes Nightwing?" Starfire asked.

_-Go out on another date tonight!-_ Nightwing screamed at himself inside his head. _-Come on...say it, you moron!-_

"Would you like..." he began. Starfire stared at him...with those big eyes... and that hopeful smile..."...s-some coffee?" he finally finished.

"Oh! Yes, please!" responded Starfire, oblivious to the fact that Nightwing had just tried to ask her out and failed.

Nightwing forced a smile, said "Okay," and turned to get the coffee. _-Stupid, stupid, stupid...what the?-_ "Um, Starfire?"

"Yes, Nightwing?" she responded.

He looked to her. "Where's Beast Boy?"

**0 0 0**

Raven, in the meantime, had taken her shower, gotten dried off, and had her clothes on quickly as always, but was hesitant to leave. If she left, she lost her excuse to not talk to Beast Boy.

She sighed, and sat down on a clothes hamper...not exactly comfortable, but better than the toilet. She took a few deep breaths, crossed her legs, and began meditating.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos..." she chanted.

Thus began another mental conversation with her emotions.

_-I still say we just drop the whole thing and ignore the little moron,-_ suggested Rude as Raven came in. Apparently, they had been already talking before she got there.

_-Ignore him? Just yesterday, you were...-_

_-I changed my mind,- _said Rude, interrupting Anger. Anger steamed, but obeyed Raven's rule about causing no physical harm to any other emotion.

_-It's nonsensical not to want to talk to him!- _interjected Knowledge. _-It would be better for all involved if we do so!-_

_-But...but what if he doesn't understand?- _Timid asked hesitatingly.

_-We know Beast Boy better than that,-_ said Wisdom. Before she could continue, Timid did.

_-Or what if...we don't understand him? What if we get mad again? Or what if someone says something the wrong way? What if...-_

_-Shut up!-_ shouted Anger._-I'm sick of hearing your voice!- _Timid started crying. _-But I don't want to talk to him either, I'll admit it. After all, it WAS totally his fault.-_

_-That's not true, and you know it!-_ said Brave, who was trying to comfort Timid._-We were the ones who got angry that night, we started that argument, and we said those horrible things!-_

_-He deserved it!- _shouted Anger.

_-I think maybe we should talk to Beast Boy,-_ mused Happy, _-When he's in a good mood!-_

_-Happy makes an excellent point,-_ said Wisdom. _-If Beast Boy is feeling happy, the chances of him becoming angry are much slimmer. Even when we exploded at him, when he was feeling angry, he barely got angry at all. Well, comparatively, anyway. At any rate, if he were in a good mood...-_

Timid sniffled, now calmed down. _-He's never in a good mood when he's around us...he hates us...-_

_-No he doesn't!- _shouted Affection. _-If he hated us, why on Earth would...-_

_-Don't. Start. Again.-_ said Anger. _-He does hate us, despite your stupid delusions otherwise.-_

_-They aren't delusions!- _said Affection. She took a deep breath. _-But...whether they are or not...and whether this argument you're saying happened really happened...Beast Boy is, at the very least, our friend. We need to fix things between us.-_

_-No!-_ said Timid. _-I'm afraid to...-_

_-I'm...sorry, Timid,-_ said Brave, _-But...it looks like we have to.-_

Anger saw she wasn't going to win this argument, no matter how hard she tried, so she tried for a subtler approach. _-Fine...but we are NOT talking to him first thing after getting out of the bathroom...we need a strategy...- _The others looked at her oddly. _-If we're going to do something I don't want to, I at LEAST want it done right...-_ Anger explained.

_-I suppose we do need a strategy for talking to Beast Boy...-_ agreed Wisdom a little reluctantly. _-It would probably be for the best...-_

_-Alright!-_ said Brave, eager to go into this metaphorical battle. _-Who's got an idea?-_

**0 0 0**

"I have no idea where Beast Boy could be..." murmured Cyborg, who was too sleepy to be too concerned...not that he wasn't at least a little concerned, mind you.

"You've checked his communicator?" Nightwing asked,

"For the hundredth time, YES." said Cyborg, still grouchy.

"Hmm..." murmured Nightwing. Starfire flew back into the common room.

"He was not in the basement, nor upon the roof..." said Starfire. "Though I do not see how he could have gotten there anyway, with his injuries..." and she shivered a little at the thought of the injuries.

"So where could he be?" thought Nightwing, stroking his chin. His eyebrows suddenly shot up, and then he slapped his forehead. "DUH! His room!"

"Oh, of course!" said Starfire. "Hmm...it is truly odd how we sometimes forget the most obvious of things when we are slightly panicked..."

"Tell me about it..." said Cyborg, slightly angry at being woken up for nothing, more than likely.

"Alright, I'll go check his room." said Nightwing. "If he's in there, I'll contact you on the communicators. Just in case, you two keep looking. Got it?"

"Got it!" said Starfire. Cyborg simply grunted. Nightwing nodded and headed out.

**0 0 0**

Beast Boy was still a little sad, but had mostly gotten over the fact that he and Raven weren't going to be talking about what happened after all. Mainly, he was bored again. Not quite bored enough to start singing, but still pretty bored. He got up off the bed and began to poke around again.

He started at the bookshelf. _-Neat,-_ he thought, _-This reality's Raven lets me keep my comics on the bottom shelf...-_ He smiled for a bit, then took notice of the other books on the shelf._-What do we got here?-_ he thought to himself, taking one out. It was...something...written in Latin. He flipped through the pages.

_-Don't know too much Latin...-_ he thought. _-Just some Genus and Species names...comes with the territory...-_ and he moved on.

After a bit more poking around, he noticed an unusually blank space on the wall in front of his and Raven's (and here he shook his head to clear away certain thoughts) bed. He walked over to the wall and tapped it.

_Thunk, thunk, thunk..._

_-Bingo...-_ said Beast Boy. _-Now...if I had a secret compartment...which I apparently do...what would my password be?- _He thought for a couple seconds, then took a breath. "Open Sesame!"

There were a couple boops and beeps. "Password accepted," said a computerized voice.

"Sweet..." mumbled Beast Boy as the wall rolled back to reveal...

...a flatscreen, plasma TV. Two speakers popped up from the sides.

"SWEET!" shouted Beast Boy. He grinned with glee as another, smaller compartment opened up to reveal a remote control. "Why do I ever leave here?" he mumbled, everything else forgotten as he picked up the remote. He suddenly frowned. "Oh, yeah, food...well, at any rate!" and he moved to push the power button-

_Knock knock knock._

Beast Boy sighed, putting the remote control back. "Close Sesame..." he mumbled. As the machine let off its "Password Accepted" and closed the door, Beast Boy turned towards the room's door. "Come in!"

The door opened, and in stepped Nightwing. "Beast Boy!" he said, a little angrily.

"What? What did I do?" Beast Boy asked, now worried for his own safety.

"You were NOT supposed to leave that couch!" said Nightwing. "Raven told me she had told you!"

"When did she-"

"Last night. I was getting a drink, I met Raven in the hallway and saw you asleep on the couch." Nightwing explained. "But that isn't what we're talking about here!" Then he seemed to remember something, and pulled out his communicator. "I've found him, team. Cease the search."

"Glorious!" said Starfire's voice. "Beast Boy is feeling...alright, yes?"

"He'd better be alright," Cyborg shouted, "'Cause I am NOT happy about getting out of bed, let me tell you! When I get my hands on that little-"

"He's alright," said Nightwing. "And he's getting a firm talking-to, don't worry." Cyborg grumbled again. Nightwing cut off communications, then turned back to Beast Boy. "What are you doing in here?" Nightwing asked, hoping for Beast Boy's sake that he had a good reason.

Beast Boy sweatdropped, panicking slightly. "Well, um...I-I just got up early, and I wanted to talk to Raven, you know? So I figured I'd stop by her room, and when I did she was taking a shower, so now I'm just...waiting for her to get out!"

"Beast Boy," said Nightwing, his tone now softened. "I know you care for Raven deeply, but you're hurt. You shouldn't have been up and walking around."

"Ah, come on!" said Beast Boy, grabbing his right shoulder and swinging his right arm around. "I feel great! You guys don't need to worry about me!"

_Crack._

Beast Boy grimaced, and his arm dropped. Nightwing's "angry eyes" came back. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. You need bed rest, Beast Boy. Lie down. That's an order."

Beast Boy sighed, rubbing his sore arm. "Alright..."

Suddenly, an alarm was heard throughout the tower.

**0 0 0**

While Beast Boy and Nightwing were talking, Raven's emotions were going up against each other...and giving Raven a headache.

_-Let's make him some cookies!-_ said Happy. _-Everyone loves cookies!-_

_-What is it with you and cookies, Acid Trip?-_ asked Rude. Raven heard a burp.

_-Maybe if we get him a gift, he'll forget about it...?-_ asked Timid hopefully.

_-I doubt it,-_ said Knowledge._-Beast Boy isn't exactly book smart, but his memory is keen. A good gift would undoubtedly distract him for a little bit, at least, but the gift's high would wear off sooner or later.-_

_-Perhaps if we wrote him a note asking us to meet him somewhere for the talk,-_ suggested Affection, _-He shall come there with a more-open mind...?-_

_-That isn't a bad idea!-_ said Knowledge.

_-Yes it is,-_ said Wisdom. _-Do you know how put off he would be at our writing a note to him asking for him to come meet us for a talk? He would be freaked out, at the very least.-_

_-Sweet! Let's do it!-_ said Rude.

_-Why would he be freaked out?- _asked Knowledge, ignoring Rude._ -There's no logical reason for him to be.-_

_-This isn't about logic!- _said Anger. _-This is about emotion...Beast Boy's unpredictably annoyingly childish emotions!-_

_-So why don't we do what he likes to do?-_ suggested Affection.

_-I would rather die...-_ said Anger simply.

_-I say yeah!-_ said Brave._-That one fighting game he's always playin' looks awesome!-_

Rude made a sound like she was throwing up.

_-Well, then let's just talk to him already!- _said Brave, growing impatient._ -He managed to get along fine without a plan, so can we!-_

_-And as a result of that ill-formed anti-plan,- _said Knowledge, _-He is now very badly injured...I'm surprised he can even stand up.- _

Timid whimpered slightly. _-I wish we'd helped him more...-_

_-And I wish he'd been finished off in that blast...- _Anger said bitterly. _-I hate him, I hate this whole mess...-_

_-You hate everything, we get it, Chicago...-_ said Rude.

_-I never did get that nickname,-_ murmured Knowledge.

_-Maybe we should all think about this and come back to it later...-_ Wisdom suggested. Unseen to everyone, Anger smirked slightly at the word 'later'. _-Who agrees?- _Everyone said something to the affirmatory. _-Then it is settled. We shall adjourn for now...if it is alright with Raven?-_

_-It is alright...-_ Raven thought to her emotions. They went silent, and she stopped meditating.

Just in time for the alarm tower to go off.

**0 0 0**

It wasn't the usual alarm, either...it was a constant alarm that increased constantly in pitch. A blue light flashed occasionally.

Raven opened the shower door."What's going on?" she asked...then she saw Nightwing. "What are you doing in here?" she asked, but it was lost above the whine of the alarm.

"No time to explain!" shouted Nightwing over the ringing in their ears. "Let's go!"

Nightwing and Raven ran off, and Beast Boy followed, a bit slower than usual than the pain in his legs. Still, he did his best to ignore it, and no one blamed him for following the other two to the common room.

After all, the 'blue alarm' meant that Titans Tower was under attack.

**0 0 0**

Nightwing and Raven arrived in the common room about four seconds before Beast Boy, who was now walking and winced with each step. Cyborg, seeing the gang was all there, shut off the alarm and displayed the crisis on the monitor. An overhead map of the city, blueprint style, appeared on the screen. Strangely enough, spaced at random intervals in random places were little dots of light. The Titans' computer showed little bits of info on the light. It looked like a bunch of gibberish, but Cyborg understood it well enough. After he read the screen for a few seconds, his non-mechanical eye widened...greatly. He turned to the rest of the team.

"Alright, guys, we're in serious trouble...those little lights you see are ion scatterings, located all over the city. There's nothing big enough to hurt anybody, but add 'em all up and we've got one massive charge. Now, judging by their energy signature, I'm gonna have to say that new governmental satellite is somehow involved in all of this."

"What new governmental satellite?" asked Beast Boy.

Cyborg sighed, turned to the computer, and pressed a few buttons. A second or two later, a large satellite appeared on the screen. It rotated against the blue background. "_This _new governmental satellite. It's the latest in solar-powered fuel cells, combined with a system of anti-grav propulsion that allows it to rotate anywhere it wants to around Earth, freely. But what I'm worried about..." and here he pointed to the screen while simultaneously pressing a button. The satellite stopped in its rotation. "Is the fact that its entire bottom half is _one big ion laser!_"

"WOAH!" shouted Beast Boy.

"Eep!" squeaked Starfire.

"That can't be good," said Raven.

"Let me guess," said Nightwing, "The ion energy signatures..."

"...connect right at Titans' Tower," finished Cyborg as the city's blueprint came back on screen. This time, the scatterings were drawn into lines, intersecting at approximately the middle of Titan Island. "And this laser is tough stuff, man. Whoever commandeered the satellite can wipe any square mile off the face of the earth that they want. That means that not only will Titans' Tower be wiped out..."

"...but so will a good chunk of Jump City," finished Raven.

"But...you've got, like...a shield, right? Cyborg, old buddy? Heh heh?" Beast Boy said, giving a thumbs up and a nervous smile.

Cyborg coughed. "Well..." he began hesitantly.

"YOU DON'T HAVE A SHIELD?" Nightwing shouted as the others gasped.

"Yes and no..." said Cyborg. "You see, I built a shield a while back, but I haven't tested it out yet...I've just finished running diagnostics on everything, in fact."

"Then this will be the test run," said Nightwing.

"'Cause that worked _so well_ when you guys tried out that one move..." Raven said, indicating Beast Boy, who was absentmindedly rubbing his sore shoulder.

"Good point," said Nightwing. "Evacuate the city, just in case."

Cyborg nodded, and pressed the big red button clearly marked EVACUATE THE CITY.

**0 0 0**

As soon as Cyborg pressed that button, a signal was sent by underground wire to the main communications hub of the city. From there, a signal was sent up through the tower and out to every TV, radio, phone, and every other electronic device there was within city limits...and a little bit outside.

"Evacuate the city immediately!" said the preprogrammed instruction. People took notice. "This is not a drill! Repeat, this is not a drill!"

Panic, but not abject panic, ensued as the whine of the evacuation alarm sounded over the repeated warnings to clear the city. people rushed for their cars, for the subways...for anything. People ran out of buildings frantically, not knowing which direction to head. Various villains were escorted out of jail and into police vans, orange jumpsuits and handcuffs obviously showing their status.

And directly above the city, a massive governmental satellite floated, fully charged and ready to fire.

**0 0 0**

"Alright," said Cyborg, "Just like everything else I've installed recently, the shield needs our passwords in order to work."

"Why would you password-proof a shield?" Raven asked.

"Because of how easily it could be modified into a weapon if somebody wanted," he answered, raising several Titans' eyebrows. He then stepped to the windowpane to the right of the computer. The others followed, lining up next to him. Beast Boy and Raven stood to his left, and Starfire and Nightwing stood to his right. Everyone besides Cyborg removed their gloves, or rolled up their sleeves in Raven's case, and pressed their hands onto the glass.

A fingerprint scanner went to work as soon as this happened, reading everybody's hand in order to make sure that everything matched up. The retina scanner/brainwave scanner went to work next, as a red beam of light shot straight into everyone's eye. After this, a computerized voice said, "Please state your name for voice and identity final recognition."

"Garfield Logan, alias Beast Boy."

"Raven Roth, alias Raven."

"Victor Stone, alias Cyborg."

"Koriand'r, alias Starfire."

"DehGron, alias Nightwing..."

"The computer will never catch you if you mumble, Night-" began Cyborg.

"Access granted," said the computer. Nightwing gave a small smile as Cyborg sulked.

"Now what?" asked Starfire.

Cyborg ran over to the computer, flipped open a small hatch on the side, and pressed a button located within.

The whole Tower started to shake because of what happened next.

**0 0 0**

Outside the Tower, three black poles with large laser weapons on top slowly slowly rose out of the water. Upon the roof, a similarly colored pole extended until it was level with the other three. It, however, had a small black metallic diamond on it. The diamond opened to reveal two smaller poles, which also extended slightly in the air. Three walkways, which put together as they were would create the shape of a T, extended to the black poles outside Titans' Tower.

It was quite an impressive sight.

**0 0 0**

"Alright!" said Cyborg, quicker than the others could get their bearings because they hadn't known the shaking was coming. "I'm inputting the shield coordinates now. Starfire, Raven, you two are with me, because we're the only ones who can fire energy. Each of you head out to the black towers outside. There will be two holes in each tower at approximately waist level. Stick your hands into them, and don't stop pumping energy until I tell you!"

"What can we do?" asked Nightwing.

"You guys need to aim the shield," said Cyborg, as two consoles popped up from hatches in the floor in front of the couch.

"How did you install those without us noticing?" Beast Boy asked.

Cyborg ignored him. "I've got the shield coordinates set properly, but the blast might knock it off center...and that would be bad. I need you guys to tilt the joystick retaining to your balancing pole in the opposite direction the shield needs to go...the computer will do some of it for you, but it can't handle all the stress of maintaining the force field AND keeping it from going off center."

"Um, no offense, dude..." pointed out Beast Boy, "But that has got to be one of the lamest ways to keep a force field up, ever..."

Cyborg slowly turned his head and looked at Beast Boy...hard. "It saves energy..." said Cyborg. "Or would you prefer we drain power from the WHOLE CITY?!"

"Sorry..." said Beast Boy. The Titans' computer started beeping again.

"Two minutes until blast zone..." said Cyborg. "Here's hoping this works..." and he ran off, Raven and Starfire following behind.

The doors opened.

The doors closed.

Nightwing and Beast Boy settled themselves in the consoles' seats, taking a look at the viewscreens.

Just outside of the tower, the Titans went their separate ways. Raven went the the left tower, Starfire to the right, and Cyborg to the bottom tower. They walked across the twenty-or-so foot-long walkways. When they finally reached the poles, a hatch opened up, revealing two holes for their hands and a viewscreen. The other four Titans appeared on each Titan's screen.

Cyborg turned both his arms into sonic cannons.

Starfire surrounded her hands with her Starbolts.

Raven surrounded hers with dark energy.

"On three, you guys!" said Cyborg. "We've got to do this simultaneously!"

"Got it!" said Raven.

"Got it!" said Starfire.

"Okay, then, guys...one...two..."

**0 0 0**

The satellite fired.

**0 0 0**

"THREE!"

They each jammed both their arms into their respective places. Cyborg's sonic cannon's energy shot up and around the pole like electronic circuitry. Starfire's energy rose like liquid. And Raven's energy rose like she was trying to move the whole tower.

Finally, the energies reached their maximum point, and were expelled forcefully from the gun. They met at the center, and were combined into one white-hot ball of energy.

"Alright, Nightwing! Beast Boy!" Cyborg shouted. "Extend the balance poles!"

Nightwing and Beast Boy each pressed the button on their respective joystick. The poles extended into the energy ball.

Three agonizing seconds passed.

Suddenly, the entirety of the ball was spread out into a large, golden-colored force field that spread over the entirety of the island, and then some. The three Titans below continued to pump energy, as it was needed to power the force field. Three of the Titans let out a cheer, and Cyborg smirked. Once the cheer subsided, he spoke.

"Made it," he said. "And with plenty of time to spa-"

The laser impacted.

**0 0 0**

The impact and the shockwave it made were visible for over six miles away. Most of the people who saw the bright light didn't know what it meant, but those brave enough to stay it what might be a dying city knew all to well what it was.

It was their doom in refracted form.

And as the hundred-or-so people looked upon this display of power with a mixture of shock, awe, and fear, one little boy, about the age of twelve, was sitting and looking as well. He was a pale boy, with dark glasses and spiked-yellow hair. He was wearing a white t-shirt, a red and blue racing jacket, blue jeans, and the male answer to go-go boots, colored black and a very light purple. But the most noticeable thing of all about this boy was that he was in a wheelchair.

He looked upon that death laser with peace in his heart and utter belief in his heroes that they would not let that blast hit. And so he stared, able to say one thing, and one thing only.

"Cool..."

**0 0 0**

"Estimate was a little off, huh, Cyborg?" Beast Boy asked angrily over the roar of what was going on.

"Shut up and steer!" Cyborg shouted back.

Beast Boy looked to the computer, which was already showing some alteration in the ballasts. Beast Boy tilted the joystick in the opposite direction of where he wanted the shield to go. The shield reclaimed its rightful place.

"Huh. Easy enough..." said Beast Boy.

"The shield should hold as long as you keep doing that," said Cyborg, and as he said it Nightwing made an adjustment with the joystick as well, a small one. "But I've gotta warn you: the longer the blast goes on, the more you're gonna need to balance things out!"

"Alright," said Beast Boy. "I can do this...I RULE at video games!"

And as if in response to this, the computer showed that the pole needed to be adjusted three times over.

"You were saying?" said Nightwing, as Beast Boy panicked slightly in getting everything where it needed to be.

"Hey, we're alive, aren't we?" Beast Boy said, and then adjusted the balance once more.

"That's it...keep it up..." said Cyborg. "Starfire, Raven! How are you two doing?"

"I am...feeling...tired!" said Starfire, straining to speak.

"How long is this laser blast supposed to go on, anyway?" said Raven, also feeling the burn.

"A minute or so," said Cyborg. "At least."

"At least?" said Beast Boy, incredulously. "What happened to fuel-efficient?"

Beast Boy's question went unanswered, as there were more important things to worry about.

**0 0 0**

"Woah..." said Johnny Rancid, looking out the back window of the police van as it drove a good distance from the city. "That is some serious stuff, right there..."

"Must be that new governmental satellite everybody's been talking about," said Professor Chang, who was seated next to Johnny...or, rather, where Johnny would be if he was sitting down.

"Very impressive," said Killer Moth, stealing a peek out the window as well. "I wouldn't mind having one of those lasers in my lab..."

"Yeah, but could you actually use it?" the good Professor asked.

"Better than you could," said Killer Moth. And before Professor Chang could retort...

"Hmph!" said a commanding, bratty, feminine voice. Everyone turned to it...yes, it was Kitten. "I don't see WHY you would want one of those when you could have one of those new mind control chips they've got out..." and she rubbed her manicured, handcuffed hands together with glee. "I've already got a few ideas on how to use them, too...hee, hee, hee...revenge will be mine, oh dearest Robbie-poo..."

There were a few moments of silence. "Okay..." said Professor Chang. "Did I miss something?"

Kitten looked up, now angry. She stood up and pointed at the Professor, leaning over towards him and utterly dominating him through a combination of reverse feminine wiles and incredibly powerful lungs. "YOU are a moron!" she said. "I don't know WHY I had to be stuck in HERE with two GOONS like you and Mr. Punk Wannabe over there!"

"Ha!" said Johnny, now sitting down, to Killer Moth. "She called you a punk wannabe!" Killer Moth sighed in response.

"I was calling YOU a punk wannabe, you MORON!" Kitten yelled again. "Not to MENTION that your name REALLY IS ACCURATE, Mr. Johnny RANCID! When was the last time you had a shower, you PATHETIC excuse for a human being?"

Johnny, unlike Professor Chang (and Killer Moth, for that matter), was not swayed by the bratty girl's yelling. In fact, he actually stuck up his chin slightly, as if to look down his nose at her, while she yelled at him. Once he was done, he pushed her face slightly, turning his in the opposite direction towards Killer Moth.

"Sweet girl you got here," he said, sarcasm dripping nicely off the tounge.

SMACK.

The side of Johnny Rancid's face was bulging. Scratch marks showed across it. Kitten blew on her nails. "Mess with the Kitten, and you get the claws."

"Am...am I bleeding?" asked Johnny.

"Yes," said Killer Moth, simply.

"At any rate," said Professor Chang, "It looks like things are going down way beyond us back there in Jump City."

"Yeah," said Johnny, "But there's just one thing I don't get."

"What's that?" asked Killer Moth.

"Why is the government firing on the Teen Titans?" Johnny mused. Everyone in the van sighed. "What?"

"Obviously, some hacker took over the shiny new satellite they have up there," said Professor. "Some hacker with, how do the kids say, a 'beef' with the Teen Titans."

"Not like something like this doesn't happen every once month or so..." Killer Moth mumbled.

"Whoever took over that satellite is stupid," said Kitten. "It's way too obvious. Anyone could have seen it coming a mile away! No, when I have my revenge, NO ONE will see it coming!" And she cackled with glee.

"Oh boy," said Professor Chang. "Here we go..."

"Princess," appeased Killer Moth, "Don't you think that maybe it's about time that you forgot about when your, um...'Robbie-Poo' dumped you, and focus on bigger and more villainous goals in life?"

"NO WAY!" screeched Kitten, much to the dismay of everyone else in the van. "No one dumps KITTEN and gets away with it! Oh, Robbie-Poo will RUE the DAY he dared to do so!"

It was Johnny's turn to sigh, now, as he put his handcuffed hand onto his cheek, leaning against the side of the van.

The van hit a bump.

Johnny's hands slipped onto the hard metal seat below him.

_SNAP._

The sound gained everyone's attention, and they all looked over, astonished, as Johnny raised his left hand...

...without raising his right.

Apparently, the handcuffs had not been completely tightened onto Johnny's arm in the police's hurry to evacuate, and that bang from the bump had been enough to knock the right cuff right off. Johnny slowly, evilly smirked as what had just happened sunk in, and the others did as well.

**0 0 0**

**Two minutes later...**

**0 0 0 **

The police van was now in a ditch, its wheels spinning. The back door burst open.

"OH YEAH!" shouted Johnny Rancid, arms spread wide. "Johnny Rancid is BACK, baby!"

And as he spoke, Kitten and Professor Chang, now also out of their handcuffs, exited the van. Johnny followed them, and a handcuffless Killer Moth followed him, but not before throwing out the two guards, whose hands and feet had been cuffed together, on the dust below as well.

"I sincerely hope you do not mind, fellahs," said Professor Chang, "But we're taking your van for a little joy ride..."

And a minute or so after that, they were headed off towards freedom, leaving the poor security guards behind.

**0 0 0**

Back at Titans' Tower, and a few minutes in the past, a tense thirty seconds with no major catastrophes went by. Nightwing spoke over the increasing roar. "Beast Boy, pay attention! I don't want to have to clean up your messes when I've got my own to take care of." Silence. "Beast Boy, do you copy?"

"I...I copy you..." said a muffled voice. Nightwing looked back to see...

...Beast Boy, shivering in a ball on the floor. "BEAST BOY!" Nightwing shouted, getting up and running over. He turned Beast Boy on his back, checking the changeling's pulse as he did so.

"S-stop..." said Beast Boy, struggling to stay conscious. "You've gotta...gotta protect the Tower, or else...everyone...everyone d-dies..."

As if on a cue, a massive backdraft of energy flew off the shield above the tower and into the bay.

"Beast Boy...okay," said Nightwing. "You're right. I'm sorry." And he returned to his seat to hear Cyborg's voice.

"Nightwing! Beast Boy! I repeat, what's going on?"

"Beast Boy's been incapacitated," said Nightwing, re-balancing the poles. "But I think I can handle working the shield on my own. You guys just worry about your energy output."

"Got it," said Cyborg. "But I gotta warn you...it ain't gonna be easy."

"All the more reason for us to stop talking and focus on our respective tasks, right, Cyborg?" Nightwing said, driving his point home.

"Heh...exactly right," said Cyborg.

And so the rest of the mission looked to be prospective silence and worry.

**0 0 0**

Meanwhile, high above the Earth's atmosphere, the satellite gave one last massive push and fired the remnant of its power as one massive ball at the end of the laser beam. It had finally stopped firing...but the crisis was nowhere near over.

**0 0 0**

Left.

Right.

Left-right-left.

Circle.

_-Beast Boy was right,-_ Nightwing thought. _-This is like a video game...-_

Circle-left-circle-right-right-mildpress-quartercicrcle-left-right-up.

_-And this is the part where I regret never playing fighting games...-_ he continued to think, wiping sweat off his brow. _-__This would be so much easier if Beast Boy hadn't been injured...- _The beam had increased in intensity the longer it had gone on, and Nightwing felt that if it increased anymore, he would never survive. Literally.

Another backdraft of energy was deflected off, grazing the shore of Titans' Island as it fell. Nightwing gulped, tension rising. And when tension rises, people start making mistakes. And Nightwing was making mistakes.

Another backdraft of energy was shot off, and it headed...

...straight for the city.

"NO!" shouted Nightwing, watching from the console. The other Titans gasped as the beam shot towards shore at an extremely high speed, and then...

suddenly dissipated.

Nightwing breathed a sigh of relief and started moving the joystick again.

Left-right-right.

Right-left.

Left-left-right.

Circle.

Left-right-left...wait, that wasn't right...

Left, no right...

Right-left...

Quarter circle...

Wrong again!

Backdraft!

_-Too much...-_ thought Nightwing. Backdrafts were shooting off left and right...it was miraculous that no one got hurt. Nightwing noticed something on his viewscreen...

A massive ball of energy was going to impact in approximately one minute.

"Cyborg!" he shouted. "The computer doesn't know what to do!"

"Bring up...grr...the main processing display...gyah...and mark the area of 3.98 to 4.58 as green! GAH!" Cyborg panted a few times. "When the blast in the green area...oh, man...hit both buttons simultaneously!"

"WHAT!" said Nightwing, struggling to keep up the balance of both poles. "I can't do that! I can barely handle this-"

Both the poles were suddenly in balance.

Nightwing gaped until he heard a voice behind him. "Quartercircle-left..." Nightwing turned. Beast Boy still couldn't be called "standing", but he was kneeling, slouched over the console. "In _Fightermania 3000_...the finishers always start with...quartercircle-left..."

Nightwing smiled and turned back to his console. "Beast Boy is back!" he said, now finding the difficulty of his task halved. "I repeat, Beast Boy is back!"

"Guh...Glorious!" said Starfire. "I am sure that his...oomph...skills in the area of gaming shall prove...hurmph...quite useful!"

"Okay, guys!" said Cyborg, keeping a watchful eye on everything, "When I say...'now'...gasp...stop pumping energy!"

"Okay!" said Starfire.

"Gotcha..." said Raven, before giving off a grunt.

"Alrighty then..." said Cyborg. "Three...two...one...NOW!"

Together and with a simultaneous "Aaah..." they took their arms out of the machine. The last of the energy slowly flowed into the gun.

"Okay, guys!" said Cyborg, as Beast Boy and Nightwing managed to stave off the last of the main attack. "Wait for it to get all the way in the green area and press the buttons simultaneously...you've got a .2 second window of opportunity!"

"What were you thinking when you designed this system?" asked Raven angrily.

"I was _thinking_ that something like THIS was never gonna happen!" said Cyborg.

Back in the common room, Beast Boy and Nightwing prepared to hit the button together. "Alright...dude..." said Beast Boy. Nightwing looked back to him, final blast going to impact in fifteen seconds according to the computer. "When I say the 'i' in One-Mississipp'i'...you press that button...got it?" Nightwing nodded. "Great...and if something goes wrong...it was nice...to know you, pal..." Nightwing nodded again, then turned towards the viewscreen. He let out a breath of air.

Five seconds.

_-Alright, Nightwing...-_ he thought, closing his eyes so that his judgement might not impair Beast Boy's. _-Don't mess this one up...-_

Beast Boy, still slouched but standing up straighter, watched the viewscreen. He breathed in sharply, trying to ignore the newest wave of pain to hit him. He carefully watched the rate of falling...carefully...he couldn't mess this one up...his eyes widened.

"ONE-MISSISSIPPI!" he shouted, which might have been humorous had it not been so tense.

He and Nightwing pressed the button.

The blast hit as the diamond closed.

MASSIVE energy backdraft, but this time straight up into space. It let off a shockwave as it went that toppled the three gun towers and sent several ears ringing...

...but no one had been hurt.

A collective cheer went up from everyone in Jump City, including the Titans. Raven even spared herself a "Whoo-hoo..." Which, you know, was a lot for her.

And inside the tower, the only one not cheering was Beast Boy. He smiled, though it might have been an attempt at a smirk. He waited for the cheer to die down, and then spoke up. "Heh...and Raven says video games are bad for you..." the Titans heard him say.

The next thing they heard was the sound of Beast Boy's head hitting the floor.

**0 0 0**

"Oh, man..." said Cyborg. "My arms feel like they've been attached to twenty-eight magnets...give or take, anyway..."

The Titans were back in the common room, the commandeered satellite was back in the hands of the government, and the day had been saved.

But they still had no idea who pulled it off.

"Consider yourself lucky," said Nightwing. "Me and Beast Boy had to do the least work...but the least work was the most work with his injuries."

"Yeah, you're right..." admitted Cyborg. "But, man...that was some close, right there...I'm definitely gonna need to modify those shields a little bit..."

"A little bit?" said Raven, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, a lot!" said Cyborg. "But I'm still working on the same basic principles! It'll just, you know...take less than five people to operate, just in case."

The Titans sighed collectively. There were a few moments of silence before Nightwing walked over to Beast Boy.

"How is he?" asked Raven. Nightwing bent over, checking his friend's pulse and listening to his friend's heartbeat.

"He seems to be doing better..." said Nightwing. "Even so, I think he should be moved to the sick bay...and _stay_ there this time..." And with that he turned, walked to the computer, and pressed a button. Another visual of the satellite appeared, this time with some modifications.

"I don't get it," spoke up Cyborg, finally. "Nobody entered that satellite. Nobody was sending any signals to it. None of its defenses were breached...so what happened?"

"That's what we have to find out," said Nightwing. "Unfortunately..."

"You do not think that the Psykinesis might have escaped, do you?" Starfire asked, worrying deeply that her words might be true.

"No," said Nightwing simply. "Police say Psykinesis was under guard all day..." suddenly, the alarm went off. This was the bad-guy-has-escaped-from-prison alarm. Nightwing checked the computer ,and the alarm went off. He scrunched his face up slightly. "Just great..." he mumbled. "Looks like Psykinesis hasn't broken out...but someone has..._several_ someones," and he turned. "Johnny Rancid, Killer Moth, Kitten, and Professor Chang have ALL managed to escape from prison!"

"WHAT?" shouted every Titan conscious at the time.

"Apparently, during the evacuation, they were all loaded into the same van..." said Nightwing. "And then someone didn't tighten Johnny's handcuffs all the way because they were panicked, and..."

"...the rest, as they, say, is history," Raven finished for him.

"This is awful!" said Starfire. "Truly awful!"

"Today is going to be a loooong day..." mumbled Cyborg.

"Tell me about it..." murmured Nightwing. "Raven. Take Beast Boy to the sick bay."

Raven nodded, and then picked up Beast Boy with her powers. She began the trek to the medical ward, slowly walking so that she wouldn't accidentally hurt Beast Boy or anything.

And inside her mind, a great confrontation was taking place.

**0 0 0**

**Raven's Mind**

**Timid's Place**

**0 0 0**

Timid sighed, picking up her book. It was a children's book, though I don't feel compelled to tell you its name. All I will tell you is that it inspired her. And that's what is important.

_-My place...-_ thought Timid._-The one place I can feel safe...at least...-_ and she looked around. _-The safest I can ever feel...- _

This was Timid's Place. It was a domain of unbudding flowers who were too afraid to let people see them bloom...and then there were the flowers who never poked their heads out of the ground at all. It was a realm of night, for darkness was one of the few things Timid wasn't scared of...Raven did have darkness for a power, after all. Plus, when it was dark, it was easier to hide. But, most of all, it was a gray realm. Everything in Timid's Place was some shade of gray or another...including Timid.

She sighed again. _-I don't know...I've been feeling even more awkward than usual lately...yet I wish this whole thing was true. I think it's true...at least, I think I think I do...- _She bowed her head in her usual sadness. "Why doesn't anyone understand that we should just...leave the past behind?"

"I understand."

Timid turned, dropping her book. She was more startled than she had ever been in her life before, and that is saying something. The reason for her being startled was...

"Anger?" she asked. "W...what are you..."

"I understand perfectly what needs to be done," said Anger. "We should never talk to Beast Boy about...you know what."

"W...why are you...?"

"Because I don't want to talk to him any more than you do," said Anger, anticipating the question Timid was about to ask. "I'm here to help you, Timid..."

"But...but..." she started. Anger waited patiently...a new for her. "But...you're Anger...you never help anybody...even when it would help you to help somebody else."

"I'm...turning over anew leaf..." said Anger, trying not to grow impatient.

Timid was quiet for a while (what else is new?). Finally, she mumbled "Idobelveyoo..."

"What?" said Anger.

"I don't believe you!" Timid yelled...somehow managing to yell timidly. Putting her arms above her head probably helped.

"I see..." said Anger.

There was a long silence. Timid eventually put her arms down.

Anger suddenly darted forward.

_Thwack!_

Timid fell to the ground. "You...hit me!" she said, now terribly frightened...and I do mean _terribly_... "But that...but that's..."

"Against the rules? Do you think I care?" said Anger.

"You'll be locked up again!" said Timid, now trying to save herself.

Anger simply looked down on Timid. "No, I won't..." she said. "Because no one is ever going to find out about this meeting..." and she kneeled down on one knee, leaning in close to Timid...menacingly. "Because you are going to tell nobody..."

"W...why would I...?" Timid stuttered. Anger was just so_scary_...she began to cry.

"Quit your whining," said Anger, standing up. "I told you I was here to help, didn't I?"

"W-what?" Timid asked tearfully.

"If you hadn't been so stubborn and whiny about it I wouldn't have had to hit you," said Anger, walking away from Timid a little bit. "I knew there was no way of getting through to you otherwise." Timid was silent, so Anger continued turning back towards Timid. "I figure that together we can keep the others from ever talking to Beast Boy...without them ever realizing it..."

"H...how would we do that?" asked Timid as she stood up, interested in spite of herself.

Anger gave off a small smile. "Easy. We manipulate them."

Timid gasped. "But...but that's...that's wrong!"

Anger's face suddenly went from smiling to frowning, and her eyes grew wide. It was like she was suddenly conflicted about something...but she literally shook it off. "No...it isn't wrong..." she said, the soft smile suddenly coming back. "It's for our own good. You think so...and I think so, too. And if we think it's for our own good, then how could it possibly be wrong."

Timid thought it over. "Y-yes...I...I guess that sounds right...?" And yet, in the back of her head, there was some small nagging doubt...

"Then it's settled!" said Anger, putting on an act of cheeriness. "We'll work together for the better of everyone!"

"O...okay..." said Timid, a little uneagerly.

"Excellent," said Anger. "Now, today, I manged to trick the others into talking with Beast Boy later...and since 'later' never comes when you don't want it to...well, they'll be discussing strategies for a while, let's put it that way..."

"I...I see..." said Timid, still feeling nervous about the whole thing.

"Still feeling nervous about the whole thing?" Anger asked.

"A little..."

"Don't worry..." Anger reassured, "That'll pass...at least, as much as it can pass for you..."

Timid gulped. "I'm...I'm sorry, it's just that...no matter what you say, something inside me keeps telling me that this is all wrong..."

Anger gave off what she wanted to be a "Oh, how sweet...so naive!" smile, but seemed like more of a "Such a fool!" smile you see on people who are trying to tolerate others...which is exactly what Anger was trying to do. "Oh, come now!" she said, "That's just you being you...you are, after all, Timid..."

"Really?" asked Timid.

"Of course!" said Anger. "Why, I can assure you that if any of the others realized this was the right thing to do, they would have no doubts about working with me!"

"If you say so..." said Timid.

Anger gave off another creepy smile. "Good...now, the next time Wisdom or Raven or whoever calls the next meeting calls the next meeting, you suggest that we not talk to Beast Boy, like usual...I'll bring up something that he's done recently, and say that we should talk to him..._harshly_..." Timid gasped. "Someone will say that that would be wrong, and I'll fight back...and hopefully, the whole thing will become one huge argument and no one will get anywhere."

Timid was silent.

"What's wrong?" Anger asked, her own anger seeping back in as she glared at Timid.

"I'm sorry!" said Timid, eager to apologize. "I...I just don't like arguing!"

Anger smiled again. "Oh, it's okay. You don't have to argue...just get started. One sentence...that's all it'll take for now!"

Timid gulped, then licked her lips. "One sentence? That's all? Y...you're sure?"

"Positive," said Anger.

There was a long silence.

"O...okay," said Timid. "I'll do it."

"Good," said Anger. "Very good...Now, I'll leave you alone to do...whatever it is you do here. Goodbye!"

"G...good...bye..." said Timid, starting to shake. And as Anger exited, she slowly bent down and picked up the children's storybook she had been holding. She slowly started to read, her tears staining the words and making it difficult to read.

This was one of the days when a picture book would not inspire her.

Meanwhile, Anger exited Timid's place. Once she was out, she threw back her head and laughed a truly evil laugh. "Fool!" she finished. "I can't believe it was so easy to do!" She chuckled once more. "Now I can finally get my revenge on Raven for locking me up all those years..."

She stared at her fingernails as if there was something particularly interesting about them. "She will be miserable...yes, truly miserable..." and she clenched her fist, looking up slightly and smirking in a stereotypically evil manner. She began walking forward.

"And I know Raven..." Anger continued speaking. "I know what happens when she is miserable...when she is miserable, she relies on Timid for existence...she withdraws from the world..." She stopped walking and giggled with delight...evilly, of course. "And that means that she withdraws from her friends...and when she withdraws from her friends..."

She giggled again. "She falls deeper into darkness..."

Anger stood, looking up as if talking directly to Raven. "You'll be miserable...you'll become everything you never wanted to be...you'll be a source of destruction...and I will NEVER be locked up again!" And she chuckled again, closing her eyes. "You may have gotten rid of Trigon, Raven..."

She opened her eyes, and though there were not four of them ,that familiar shade of redness was back. And her voice had an otherworldy tone: "But that doesn't mean he was the only demon you ever had..."

And so, chuckling, she called upon Raven's powers and slowly sank into the ground...something that none of Raven's emotions should have been able to do.

* * *

Wow. Creepy. At any rate, more author's notes! Well, less author's notes...not much to elaborate on in this chapter...

"Bored, bored, I am so bored, just call me pumpkin as I move like a gourd..."

Another verse of the "I'm Very Bored" song, bringing the total up to...two verses! Yay! Just a reminder: feel free to sing this whenever you're bored.

"There's a bathroom built in with our room,"

Okay, why does Titans' Tower have only one bathroom (see episode: Transformation)? You would think whoever built it would put in more...not just for the Titans, but for everyone else who gets invited to their massive parties. At any rate, I figured I'd better give Rae and BB their own private bathroom.

"She ran over to where Beast Boy was pointing and opened the door she hadn't noticed was there before. "

How did she not notice the bathroom? Well, she never needed to use it and really didn't bother looking around the room too much. Or, at least, that's my excuse...

"He looked to her. "Where's Beast Boy?"

Originally, I was going to have some massive crazy look-for-Beast Boy thing go on here...but then I got lazy. Don't worry, though, I promise I will make some massive crazy thing go on later in the story.

"_-You hate everything, we get it, Chicago...-_ said Rude."

Why Chicago? Well, what's the first element you associate Anger (or anger in general) with? Fire, right? Well, think about some of the most deadly fires in history...you get it now?

"...those little lights you see are ion scatterings, located all over the city."

I'm okay at science, but forget most of it once the tests are over...that said, I have no idea whether a bunch of ions would make a good laser...or if you could predict that laser was coming by measuring and energy-signaturing ion scatterings...or if ion scatterings even exist. Please forgive me for any inaccuracy.

"Now, judging by their energy signature, I'm gonna have to say that new governmental satellite is somehow involved in all of this."

Ah, the good old "commandeer a government satellite' plot...why do I say 'good old'? Because it's been used before at least twice, both times on the French television series Code Lyoko. In both cases, a super-powerful artificial intelligence managed to take over the satellites and use their lasers against the bunch of schoolkids that always managed to foil his evil plots. The first time, he fired directly at the kids...and specific kids, too. Very accurate laser. The second time, he shot at a passing meteor, making sure that one of its fragments would fall onto the factory he needed to destroy in order to obtain total world domination. I took from the first example.

And, no, the AI is not going to be a character in this fic. No crossovers here, remember?

"Cyborg nodded, and pressed the big red button clearly marked EVACUATE THE CITY."

You know, the one right next to the one that reads GET SOME WAFFLES. Yeah, that one.

"Woah..." said Johnny Rancid, looking out the back window of the police van as it drove a good distance from the city. "That is some serious stuff, right there..."

Originally I wasn't going to put this segment in at all, but then, rereading the story, I felt that the action needed a bit of a break, so I reflected on what Nightwing reported near the end of the chapter and thought, why not tell the story of how they escaped? And I'm really glad I did, now, too, because reading it without the little break makes the escape seem like a deus ex machina...

...wait, so does the break. They escaped because someone didn't tighten Johnny's handcuffs, and because the van hit a bump. Ah, well, at least this way it's funny.

"I understand."

I felt creepy and guilty writing this part here...creepy, because...you know, and guilty because...Timid got hurt. Anyone who would enjoy hurting Timid is an absolute sadist.

"But that doesn't mean he was the only demon you ever had..."

And this is the massive plot twist I was telling you about...well, perhaps not massive, but you get the picture. At any rate, it appears Raven still has her own personal demons to deal with besides her father. Hopefully I surprised a lot of people with this. Not that you'll be surprised by this...

DISCLAIMER: Teen Titans does not belong to me. It belongs to Glen Murakami and DC Comics. Code Lyoko also does not belong to me. It belongs to Taffy, a division of Moonscoop, and somewhat to Cartoon Network.

And thusly I say in closing:

God bless you all!


	5. When Moths Attack

I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date!

Sorry...my saying 'unless something weird happens' caused something weird to happen...I won't go into detail, that would be futile...and I'll try and get that bonus chapter up soon, too. As for now...read and enjoy this chapter!

...well, not yet...I have to correct a mistake...last chapter, I had Raven say her name as 'Raven Roth' when it should now be 'Raven Logan.' Except, you know, she may simply not have bothered to change it, or didn't take on Beast Boy's last name, or didn't change it on the computer for security reasons...so, yeah, it was a mistake, but an easily explainable one, plot-wise. Thanks go to Teen Tyrant for spotting this"error"...NOW let's start the chapter!

"Oooh..." Beast Boy moaned, slowly sitting up. "Where am I?" He looked around._-The sick bay...-_ he thought._-I must have fallen unconscious...not that I blame me, I am hurting...- _He looked up at the clock. 9:04 AM. He then got out of the bed, slowly walking towards the door. _-Where is everybody?-_ he thought. He saw a note on the door, and therefore picked it up and read it.

_Beast Boy, _

_If you're reading this, you've regained consciousness without us. Sorry we couldn't be there to welcome you back, but several villains have escaped and we need to catch them. Feel free to do...whatever it is you like to do, play video games or whatever. Just leave the bed as little as possible, and don't strain yourself. If you need us, just call us on the communicator...on second thought, call Nightwing's cell, he'll have it on vibrate so you don't tip off any of the bad guys._

_Sincerely, Raven._

"Huh..." said Beast Boy. "Looks like I'm on my own..." and he frowned a little. "Too bad...I always like catching criminals...well, I guess the others can handle it, and I'm not exactly in a position to go with them..." He sat back down on the bed. "Still, I wonder what they're doing right now..."

**0 0 0**

"What they were doing right now" was patrolling the city. They had no idea where the escapees could be at, but they knew they were all in the city because of the guards who radioed back to headquarters, requesting help.

Nightwing raised up his communicator. "Has anyone found anything yet?"

"Nope, nothing..." said Cyborg, driving along in the T-Car. "At least, not so far..."

"Not a thing," chimed in Starfire.

"Still nothing on my end of town," said Raven.

"Keep searching," said Nightwing. "They could be anywhere, doing anything...and that simply isn't good."

"What are you going to do?" asked Starfire.

Nightwing stopped his jet-black motorcycle outside one of the...shadier spots in town. "I'm going to interrogate a few people."

"Don't get carried away," said Raven.

"I won't," said Nightwing. "Over and out." And he flipped shut the communicator and looked up. _-Bill's Bar...- _he thought. _-Legendary for being one of the worst places in town...and one of Johnny Rancid's favorite hangouts.-_

And, on that note, he walked inside.

**0 0 0**

Meanwhile, Cyborg had just pulled up to Killer Moth's deceivingly suburban home. "Okay, Cyborg..." he mumbled to himself. "There's nothing to be afraid of...just because you can't tell anything about his house with your sensors..." And he began to walk up to the door. "And just because, for all you know, Killer Moth could have an army of mutant moth-things waiting for you as soon as you open the door..." And he reached said door and put his hand on the knob. "And just because you're all alone..none of that's any reason to be afraid."

He didn't open the door,

"C'mon, Cyborg..." he said. "You can do this..."

He slowly twisted the knob...

**0 0 0**

Meanwhile again, Beast Boy was at the tower, looking for something to do.

"No..." he said, flipping the channel. "No..." he flipped it again. "Oh, c'mon! Isn't there anything on today?"

"It slices! It dices! It cleans your carpet! Just make sure you don't mix up the buttons!"

Silence.

"That'd be a probable 'no'..." mumbled Beast Boy, flipping to the last channel before he would have to go through them all again.

"And today in the local news," said the reporter on the screen, toupee slipping off his head. "Supervillains Johnny Rancid, Killer Moth, Professor Chang, and Kitten have all escaped from the van transporting them out of the city during today's crisis situation. The Titans are working towards tracking them down, but no definite leads have been found so far, although Nightwing commented in a brief moving interview that he 'had a few hunches' as to where they could be."

"Wow..." said Beast Boy. "That can't be good...then again, Kitten isn't exactly what I'd call a 'fighter'... although she does scare me a little..." and here he shivered. He sighed, and flopped back down on the bed.

"And, on a related note," continued the reporter. "Rumors continue to abound that the Titans are looking for a few more people to join the team. While the Titans themselves have done nothing to either confirm or deny these rumors, with the amount of criminal activity going on as of late, it would not surprise this reporter if this rumor was true."

"...huh," said Beast Boy, now looking up. "Wonder how that one got started..." He knew the Titans' unwritten policy. Never seek out heroes, but if you find them, so much the better. Although this policy was broken a bit during the war with the Brotherhood of Evil...still, far as Beast Boy knew, nothing like that was going on at the moment. But, then again, he didn't have memory of the past two years, supposedly.

Beast Boy sat up straight in bed "THAT'S IT!" he shouted, then jumped out of said bed-

Shooting pain.

Beast Boy fell over.

**0 0 0**

Nightwing opened the door of the bar. Forcefully.

The usual types were all sitting there, and the unusual ones were too. Some were both usual and unusual. Nightwing didn't flinch at any of it, though a few flinched at the site of him. After all, not everyone in the bar was exactly "legal".

The bartender, affectionately called "Bill" after the bar he had inherited (few knew his real name), was the only person there who not only didn't flinch at Nightwing's coming in, but actually smiled. "Nightwing!" he said. "How has it been going?"

"Not too bad," Nightwing said, walking up and sitting on the barstool. "How've you been?"

"Oh, can't complain, can't complain..." Bill murmured, wiping the inside of a glass with a rag. He suddenly put the glass down, cupped his hand to his mouth, leaned to Nightwing, and said in a stage whisper: "After all, if I complained, someone would probably beat me up!" Nightwing chuckled, and the owner went back to polishing glasses. "Seriously, though, I'm doing great. Always been my dream to be a bartender...sure, this place ain't exactly one to talk about, but plenty of people come to bartenders for advice, and, well..." and the corners of his mouth and his mustache turned up. "These guys need advice, let's put it that way."

Nightwing chuckled again. "Glad to hear you're enjoying life," he said.

"Yep. Nothin' better than helpin' people, that's what my grandpappy always said," said Bill, a little nostalgically. "And after twenty years of givin' out advice, I've gotta say grandpappy knew what he was talkin' 'bout..."

Nightwing smiled. "Yeah, definitely. But, as much as I'd love to chat..."

"You got a villain to track down, right?" asked Bill, setting down his glass.

"How'd you know?" Nightwing asked, feigning surprise.

Bill fake-sniffled. "Only reason you ever come here...never come just to talk to old Bill..." he sobbed, the epitome of sorrowful acting...at least, around here. Nightwing chuckled once more. "Serious, now, though...who you need info on?"

"Johnny Rancid escaped this morning." Nightwing explained. "Has he been by?"

"Oh, Johnny!" Bill said, scratching his chin. "Yep...he was here, 'bout forty-five minutes ago...all excited about some plan he'd concocted...least-a-ways, he said he made it up."

"A plan?" said Nightwing. "Interesting...do tell."

Before Bill could begin, an overly-make-upped blond in a slinky red cocktail dress sat down next to Nightwing. "Yo, Bill...gimme the usual."

"One nice and frosty, comin' up..." Bill said, grabbing a nearby mug and filling it to the rim. He sat it down in front of the girl, leaned forward on the bar, and pushed his glasses. "Now, let's see...how did Johnny describe this plan again...oh, yeah, he called it a 'Red-Hot Moth Rally" or some nonsense like that..."

**0 0 0**

"FREEZE!" shouted Cyborg, raising his sonic cannon into the air as he slammed the door to Killer Moth's home open.

Every inanimate object in the room froze.

"Hello?" said Cyborg, slowly beginning to lower his sonic cannon. He gulped. "I probably could've handled Killer Moth jumpin' at me, or some kind of trap, but...this is just creepy!" He flipped open his new-and-improved searchlight and began lurking around. As the light fell on objects, it lit up several light-blue hand prints. The lighter the color, the more recent they were. The light fell on a large writing desk absolutely _covered_ with hand prints. "Ah ha!" said Cyborg. "What do we have here?" And as he said that, the computer, detecting he had shone the light on those hand prints for several seconds, analyzed them.

"Analysis complete," said the words on the screen on his arm. "Approximate time of most recent hand prints' making: 55 minutes ago."

"Coincides with the time they would've gotten back into the city perfectly..." mumbled Cyborg. He walked towards the desk and sat his hand on it, searching for some kind of door.

That's when the booby traps went off.

**0 0 0**

Raven slowly sank out of the sky. She landed, gently, on the observatory, Professor Chang's old haunt. She stood on the edge, slowly leaning over to look inside. There was no one there, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be forever.

As she stood and waited, she thought about life...and how hers was going downhill fast.

_-Seriously!- _she thought._-What could be worse than being married to Beast Boy? He's insensitive to my wants, he's obnoxious, he's annoying beyond all reason, and he makes me angry, knowing what he's doing would probably make me angry, on a REGULAR BASIS.-_

There was a bit of silence in her head before Wisdom spoke up. _"Yes, and you forgot these flaws as well: he is brave, willing to sacrifice his health to protect others, willing to fess up to his own mistakes, funny, though admittedly only when he is not really trying to be, and also very calm about this whole situation when you still are steaming about what that girl DARED to do to YOU and so very clearly NOT to Beast Boy."_

_-You've been taking sarcasm lessons from Rude, haven't you?- _asked Raven.

_"Did it work?"_ asked Wisdom.

Raven sighed. _-Maybe you're right...-_ she thought to Wisdom._-Maybe I am being too hard on him...I mean, it's not like it's his fault we're in this mess...-_

_"All he wants is to talk to you,"_ said Wisdom. _"And I am sure he wants to get out of this mess just as much as you do..."_

_-I know,-_ said Raven. _-I just...don't know what to do, is all...-_

_"Then, perhaps we should call another council later?"_ Wisdom asked.

_-Agreed,-_ said Raven.

And she sat there. Watching and waiting. Waiting and watching. Bored.

She suddenly realized something, and then slapped herself on the forehead. "Oh, duh!" she said. "How could I write that? I'm such an idiot..."

**0 0 0**

Back at Killer Moth's house, several hatches in the walls opened up to reveal several laser cannons.

"Uh oh..." said Cyborg, turning to see about a dozen barrels of laser death pointed straight at his head. They fired simultaneously, and Cyborg dodged forwards. They all hit the desk. "Aw, man..." said Cyborg...he'd set off the trap and didn't even get a look at the evidence...

The lasers fired again. Cyborg "yipe"d and, frantically dodging, ran for the door. "Almost there, almost there, almost there..." he mumbled to himself. He reached for the knob...

A laser grid of blue energy suddenly popped up in front of the door.

Cyborg stopped in his tracks. "What the-" he began, but didn't have time to finish as a laser hit him in the back. "YEOWCH!" he cried, falling to the floor, and then rolling out of the path of fire. "I have had ENOUGH of this!" he shouted, standing and readying his sonic cannon.

After several shots, the last of the laser cannons was destroyed. Cyborg stood for a couple seconds, ready for whatever might happen next, then breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew..." And he walked towards the door, which had lost its laser grid. "I don't know what I was worried about..." he said to himself as he reached for the doorknob. "That was a piece of-"

As he twisted the doorknob, the floor opened up, revealing another blue laser grid below.

"CAAAAAAAKE!" Cyborg shouted as he fell. Readying his right hand, he shot it up into the air. Reaching frantically for anything, it finally grabbed onto the doorknob. Cyborg stopped just an inch from the lasers, which probably would have cut him to pieces if he had fallen. He sighed with relief again. "Alright, time to reel myself in..."

The door creaked.

"...or not..." Cyborg said, a little scaredly. He pulled out his communicator. "Calling any Titan within the immediate area...HELP ME!"

**0 0 0**

"Red-Hot Moth Rally?" said Nightwing.

"Yep," said Bill. "Apparently, he, ahem, "devised" a plan to attach exoskeletons to some of Killer Moth's larvae and turn 'em into, once again, ahem, 'Red-Hot Moths'."

"So Johnny and Killer Moth are working together?" Nightwing murmured, half to himself.

"Yep," said Bill. "Them and the Professor...though Johnny didn't seem too happy about that...still, he told me all about where he was planning to meet up with the other two, in just about a half hour from now..."

"Where is it?" asked Nightwing.

Bill was silent for a bit. "You know," he said finally, "Johnny ain't exactly a genius, but he is street smart...there ain't no way he would be tellin' me this plan of his unless he wanted people to know...people like you. So I'm guessin' that he and his gang have set up some kind of trap..." and Bill scratched the back of his head. "Either that or he had more than the one drink I gave him in him..."

Nightwing didn't chuckle this time, but only because this was serious business. "I don't care if it is a trap," he said. "Johnny Rancid, Killer Moth, and Professor Chang are all dangerous criminals, and that means the Titans have to bring them all down."

Bill nodded. "Right brave of you...at any rate, he and the other two will be meeting at the old abandoned power plant...and when two scientists and a biker punk meet up at a power plant, nothin' good ever happens."

"Thanks," said Nightwing. "Anything else you can tell me?"

"Only one other thing, and that is this..." and Bill pushed up his glasses and picked up another glass and started to clean it before continuing. "...be careful. I know you could take pretty much anybody on earth and send 'em to the mat, but...we all make mistakes, and sometimes I just worry that one of yours will be your last..." Bill looked up. "I know it don't always seem like it, but a lot of people are gonna miss ya once you're gone. They want you stickin' round on this here planet for a while, alright?"

Nightwing smiled in spite of himself. "Thanks again...that means a lot." Suddenly, he became serious. "Though there is one thing I want to say to her..." he mumbled, turning to the girl who had sat back next to him after coming back from the bathroom. She lifted the mug to her lips. "Don't drink that!" Nightwing said.

The girl put the mug down. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"It's been drugged," Nightwing whispered. "While you were in the bathroom."

"WHAT?" shouted the girl, standing up. Nightwing stood as well, but walked past her and towards a man sitting at the end of the bar. Improperly spiked hair, bad mustache and all, he was definitely a phony player.

"Excuse me, sir?" Nightwing said. The man tensed as he looked up, but relaxed when he saw that Nightwing was smiling. "My communicator doesn't seem to be working. Could I borrow your cell phone?"

"Oh, sure!" said the guy, digging into his pocket. 'Hold on just a sec-OOMPH!"

The 'oomph' came from the fact that Nightwing had grabbed the guy's arm and pulled it around behind his back. Nightwing's smile was gone as he used his other hand to show the guy the vial he'd swiped. "Okay, buddy," he said in his 'angry' voice. "Why did you put this is that girl's drink?"

"W-what...I didn't do nothin'!" the guy said.

"I saw you," said Nightwing, pushing the guy away. He fell on the floor, and looked up just in time to get kicked by a high-heeled red shoe.

"You little..." said the woman, moving towards the guy, who had just barely managed to get up

"Hey, I'm just...just doin' what comes naturally, y-you know babe?"

The woman was not entirely silent: she cracked her knuckles.

**0 0 0**

**25 seconds later**

**0 0 0 **

The "playah" was now a disheveled mess on the floor. His hair was mussed, he had been beaten and bruised, and the very alcohol he'd tried to drug had been poured onto his head.

"Hell hath no wrath..." Nightwing mumbled, not at all feeling sorry for the guy on the floor below him. He stepped over him on the way out, and as he left, he heard:

"Sorry about the mess..." the woman said, half-meaning it.

"S'okay," said Bill. "I got people to take care of messes like this...I call them police. Once they're done with the mess, I can clean up the beer." He then heard the woman chuckle, and smiled.

**0 0 0**

Raven, meanwhile, continued to sit at the observatory, watching and waiting for any sign of activity.

_-Okay, I'm starting to get impatient,-_ she thought. _-Is anyone going to come here today?-_

She was interrupted by the opening and closing of a door. She leaned back over to her regular position, making sure she was mostly out of sight.

Professor Chang looked the same as two years ago...maybe a bit skinnier? Hard to tell with that suit...Johnny, on the other hand, had gotten very muscular, and had exchanged his black muscle shirt for a black t-shirt jean jacket combo. He also held a cigarette between two fingers. Upon closer inspection, Raven noticed a scar on his cheek that looked vaguely like a scratch from a house cat. "Alright, pops," Johnny said, "Where's this brand-spankin' new armor of yours? I wanna test these babies out!"

"In time," said Professor Chang. "A very short time..."

"Sweet..." said Johnny. "I can't wait to take those Titans down!" Something hit him. "Hey, how'd you get this stuff ready so fast, anyway?"

"I've actually been working on it for months," said the Professor. "Killer Moth paid me to."

"Huh. Cool," And Johnny took a drag on his cigarette. "So how soon is soon, anyway?"

"Everything's all ready," said Professor Chang. "All that's left is for us to attach the skeleton to the larva."

_-Larva?-_ thought Raven._-Ew...but it makes sense...Killer Moth and all that...-_

Johnny took another breath of not-so-fresh air. "Alright, so now what do we do?"

"We meet up as planned," said Professor Chang. "Did you make sure to leak the info I told you to?"

"Yep," said Johnny. "They say bad news travels fast...let's see if that's true."

Professor Chang gave off an evil grin, Johnny stuck the cigarette in his mouth, and they both walked out.

_-What are they up to?-_ Raven thought inside her head.

Then her communicator rang.

**0 0 0**

It had been some time since Cyborg's call for help, and his grip was slipping...wait, those were the door hinges. At any rate, another couple minutes and he would be fried...his sweat being converted to steam upon contact with the grid served as evidence of that.

"Man, I hope somebody gets here soon," said Cyborg. "I can't take much more of this..."

The door creaked again.

"And, of course, my communicator's barely giving off a signal..." Cyborg murmured, pulling it out and looking at it angrily. He sighed, his free hand slumping. "Figures. I get to be the world's first superhero to be done in by a security system...for a geek who lives in his basement." He chuckled. "Man, I'm gonna miss your jokes, BB...even if they never were all that funny..." He sighed again. "I guess this is just how it's gonna go down...I can accept that. I'll take it like a man."

The door bent on its hinges.

"AIIIIIIE!" Cyborg screamed. There was a short pause before he said "You know...starting now..."

"Cyborg?" shouted a voice. Cyborg started, then smiled, a tear forming in his eye.

"Starfire!" shouted Cyborg. "In here!" He heard the sound of running feet. "D-don't open the door, just...bust the window or the wall or GET IN HERE!"

"But, Cyborg," came Starfire's faint reply, "Though Killer Moth is indeed a mean criminal, this is indeed his property, and-"

"Starfire!" interrupted Cyborg as the door creaked again. "If you don't get in here some way besides the door QUICK then I'm a goner!" There was a loud WHAM almost immediately after this sentence, followed by Starfire flying in and grabbing Cyborg. He let go of the doorknob, still smiling, and began saying: "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" over and over again.

Finally, Starfire flew outside and set Cyborg down on the soft green grass. He kissed the ground over and over, tears rolling down the sides of his cheeks. Starfire let him do this for a while before inquiring. "So...where is the girl?"

"Girl?" asked Cyborg, looking up.

"Yes," explained Starfire, "I heard a very feminine scream coming from this house...it sounded vaguely like an 'aiiiiiiie'."

"Um...that was...just the TV!" said Cyborg. "Yeah, some glitch or something, turned itself on and off real quick..."

"Oh...yes, that would explain things," said Starfire, thinking it over. Suddenly, her and Cyborg's communicators rang.

"Titans," said Nightwing, now broadcasting to Raven, Cyborg, and Starfire. "I know the location of all the villains...except Kitten, but we can worry about her later! Meet me at the old abandoned power plant in fifteen minutes...tops! Be as stealthy as possible until we know exactly what is going on!"

The Titans all nodded, murmuring their consent. Nightwing closed his communicator and continued to drive his motorcycle.

Cyborg and Starfire put their communicators away as well. Cyborg looked at Starfire and said: "Need a lift?" Thus, in just a couple minutes, they were off, driving in the T-Car.

And, just behind them, a couple of paparazzi who had stumbled on the scene radioed to their partners in near-crime that something big was going down at the power plant.

**0 0 0**

"Sigh..." sighed Beast Boy. "I am soooo bored...and I can't think up any new verses!" He sighed, wishing for something, anything to happen...

...well, nothing did.

"Aw, man!" said Beast Boy, pounding the nearby table. A soft thump registered to his sensitive animal ears. He blinked, then looked under the table to see what his pounding had caused to shift, although only slightly. It was a book. "Huh..." said Beast Boy, reading the title.

_Azarathian Sorcerecs._

"Must be Raven's spellbook she lost two years and two weeks ago..." Beast Boy mumbled. He opened the book. Although the spells and their descriptions were in Azarathian, there was a brief, simple drawing on each page that allowed you to guess what the spell did...and a couple of the spells had notes, written in English, by Raven.

"Cool!" said Beast Boy. "I could be a sorcerer!"

The universe would have cried out in pain could it have.

"Let's see, this spell looks kinda like a healing spell..." Beast Boy said, referring to the spell called Kerokiak Mandibla. The picture showed a simple figure glowing with green energy. Beast Boy licked his lips in concentration, then put his index finger on the spell. "Let's see...Memor? Is that what it says?"

And then something occurred to him. Something major, as in...well, you see, although Beast Boy himself admits he doesn't use his brain much, he does use it...and he had just realized that if he mispronounced even a single syllable, or even if he simply had the wrong spell, he could blow up the Tower...or worse!

Beast Boy shut the book. "I probably shouldn't mess with this kind of stuff..." he mumbled.

A few seconds passed.

Beast Boy opened the book again. "Okay," he said to himself. "Look for something Raven has taken notes on...something not too big, and easy to pronounce...aha!" The 'aha' meant that Beast Boy had found exactly what he was looking for: a spell to heal small cuts and bruises (according to Raven) and was easy to pronounce. Skraw Sal Vay.

"Cool!" said Beast Boy. "Now, just to say the magic words and..."

He couldn't say them.

Well, by that, I mean, he didn't even try to say them. He was nervous. REALLY nervous. He closed the book again, afraid to take a risk.

"Maybe I should just leave the magic to Raven..." he mumbled. Then he thought of something: "Well...what if I pronounce a syllable or two?" he said. He chuckled. "I mean, come on! What's the worst that could happen?"

**0 0 0**

"_**The Earth...is...mine! AGAIN!"**_

**0 0 0**

Beast Boy's eye twitched involuntarily at the thought of what could happen. He threw the book over his shoulder, trying to calm himself down. It didn't work, as the arm motion sent shooting pain up through his arm into his chest.

"GAH!" he said, lying back on the bed. He sighed again. "Could this day get any worse?" His eyes suddenly widened before he slapped himself on the forehead with his unhurting arm. "I can't believe I just said that..."

And, yes, Beast Boy's day would get worse...though, perhaps, not immediately.

**0 0 0**

"Alright, Titans..." said Nightwing, crouched at a vantage point similar to that which Raven had assumed not twenty minutes ago. "For all we know, this is one big trap, so we have to-"

"Play it safe and not rush into things," interrupted Cyborg.

"And then, when we do act, act with caution," continued Starfire.

"And above all, stay safe," finished Raven.

Nightwing looked stunned. "How did you guys know I was going to say that?"

"Dearest boyfriend, though you may not realize it," said Starfire, "You have given us this talk before."

"Yeah, like seventeen times in the past few minutes," said Cyborg.

"You gave Beast Boy and I similar advice when we started dating," said Raven, hoping her hood would hide the blush on her cheeks.

Nightwing coughed, turning back towards the plant window. "At any rate, I think I hear someone coming..." And he was right. A door opened at the same time a light came on, and in walked Professor Chang and Johnny Rancid. The latter twirled the keys to his motorcycle a few times before putting them in his pocket. A shadow suddenly passed over them. They looked up, slightly startled, to see Killer Moth fly down and land gently at their feet.

"What took you two so long?" Killer Moth asked angrily, pointing like an evil overlord to his henchmen...so he hoped.

"Took us so long?" asked Johnny incredulously. "We're ten minutes early!"

"Um..." Killer Moth hesitated, before resuming finger-pointing pose. "That's right! And any GOOD villain would have been here TWENTY minutes early!"

"Drop all this fake evil dictator stuff and hand over the money," Professor Chang said.

Killer Moth stared at the Professor. "You show me the exoskeletons, and then we'll talk payment."

A few moments of silence before Professor Chang snorted. "Fine," he said, "But I expect payment immediately afterwards!" And, that said, he walked over to a large generator-looking machine and pulled a switch.

More overhead lights came on, illuminating a formerly-dark corner of the room. In that corner...a very large corner...sat a machine, a large conveyor belt of some sort with various arms and odds and ends. Upon the treadmill, and also in a pile of (hopefully) compost at the far end of said treadmill, were...

"Ew..." said Johnny, walking over with the other two. "They look like...giant maggots..."

"They are giant maggots," said Killer Moth.

"Oh, GROSS!" said Johnny, dropping his new cigarette on one of the maggots.

Killer Moth gasped, then grabbed the squirming larva. "Don't you dare get that crud on my kids!" he said angrily, wiping off cigarette ash.

"Okay, that's just creepy..." said Johnny, backing up slightly. As he did so, Professor Chang moved forward and pressed a button on the machine.

After a few seconds of charging, the conveyor belt moved just enough forward that one larva could pass through all the arms and odds and end, getting pieces of metal attached gently but securely onto various places on the maggot. Most of the process was obscured, but once the larva reached the end of the line, it had gained armor in various places, glowing with energy on its back end, and with metallic wings, jets just below them. A mask, shaped like a skull, had also been attached to the front end of the maggot, two antennae poking out.

Killer Moth walked over and examined the creature. "Excellent..." he said, almost cooing.

"Yet still disturbingly gross..." said Johnny.

Professor Chang walked over to Killer Moth, smiling. "Well, then, I assume that it is everything you specified for in the plans?"

"Everything and more..." Killer Moth murmured.

"Good," said Professor Chang. "Now, about the matter of payment..."

A sudden burst of sound energy suddenly ripped through the machine, the compost pile, and several maggots. Professor Chang and Killer Moth were sent spiraling by the shockwave, but Johnny was far away enough that he was unaffected.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Killer Moth," said Nightwing as the person he was speaking to gathered his bearings. Professor Chang got up too, but a lot more slowly. "But I'm afraid that the neighbors have just installed a brand-new bug zapper in their yard...I don't think they like your moths."

With that, the Titans jumped down, ready for battle.

**0 0 0**

A van screeched through the left-open security gates and swerved out of vision's range. A news reporter and his cameraman leapt out of the van, and an antennae emerged from the top of the vehicle.

"Is everything ready, Carl?" asked the reporter, brushing the lint off his bargain-brand suit. The cameraman, apparently named Carl, smiled and nodded. The reporter smiled back. "Great..."

With that, they slowly tiptoed forward, peeking around the side of the building. There were the Titans, looking like they were getting ready for battle.

The cameraman turned, holding up five fingers. He mouthed the words "Five...four...three...two..."

**0 0 0**

"Hold on," said the anchorman, "I have just received a news bulletin!" Beast Boy looked up, hoping for something interesting. "Apparently the Titans have found the escaped criminals and are confronting them as we speak. We now go live with ace reporter Arnold Treebend at the abandoned power plant downtown to watch events as they unfold."

"WHAT?" said Beast Boy, sitting straight up. He was definitely surprised that some news reporters had gotten the jump on the Titans.

On TV, the 'ace reporter' smiled largely. "Thanks, Chet! Well, it appears that we have here some sort of villainous plot unfolding in a very un-villainous way: working together. It would appear that escaped criminals Johnny Rancid, Professor Chang, and Killer Moth are working together to try and take down the Titans, but our heroes are onto their plans!"

As if on cue, Cyborg fired into the plant, and all the Titans revealed their hiding spaces. Nightwing said something inaudible to everyone, and then the Titan's jumped into the plant.

"Come on! I want a closeup!" said the reporter, running to the window.

**0 0 0**

The Titans landed, half facing towards Johnny and half towards the other two. "Alright," said Nightwing. "This little party of yours is over!" Secretly, though, he was still waiting for the trap to be employed.

He didn't have to wait long, as all three villains smirked, and slowly started chuckling. Their chuckles increased in mirth, until finally they were all roaring with laughter.

"Someone mind letting me in on the joke?" asked Cyborg.

Johnny managed to gain his composure for a couple seconds. "Oh, man!" he said, lighting up a cigarette, "I can't believe you nimrods fell for it!"

Professor Chang stopped laughing as well. "Yes...we've been planning this little charade for months!"

"If we had not gotten so lucky as to escape ahead of time," said Killer Moth, "We had planned a revolt in the prison to create a distraction so we could, but luckily that wasn't required..."

"Yeah!" said Johnny, taking a drag on his cigarette before he continued, smoke spilling from his mouth. "And now you guys are smack dab in the middle of our REAL plan!"

"What real plan?" asked Nightwing, eyes narrowing.

Killer Moth smirked. "Kitten! Now!" The Titans looked around, ready for anything to happen...but nothing did. "That's your cue, sweetie-kins!"

"Yes, well, ahem..." Professor Chang murmured slightly..guiltily? Killer Moth turned, still confused. "Well, Kitten was...getting in the way of the progress of the plan, so we, um...there comes a time when-"

"Your kid got annoying, so we dropped her off at the police station on the way," interrupted Johnny. "Cops took care of her nice and easy."

Killer Moth's eyes widened. "You turned my DAUGHTER over to the POLICE?" he yelled. The Titans could only stand (or float) there, slightly uncomfortable.

"Ah, you can bust her out again later," said Johnny. "As for now..." and he took a drag of his cig before pulling out a remote control and pressing the button ."Let the Red-Hot Moth Rally BEGIN!"

As Johnny pressed the button, thousands of hatches in the walls opened up to reveal thousands of maggots, armored like the one before. The skull mask's "eyes" lit up as they began to take flight, buzzing around and around the place as the Titans looked on in horror.

"Oh, tarmoff..." murmured Starfire.

"Whatever that word means, I agree..." said Raven.

"Now, what was that one Spanish word I always wanted to say?" fake-mused Johnny, rubbing his chin. "Oh yeah!" and he threw his cigarette to the ground, stomping on it nice and symbolic-like. "Sayanora!"

And so the bugs swooped in, their antennae glowing red, energy passing between said antennae and firing as laser beams. The Titans dodged several blasts before Cyborg managed to get a clear enough shot to take one down.

"Alright!" said Cyborg, before he was suddenly slammed into by Killer Moth, who followed up by flying after Cyborg, scratching him several times as he flew, and kicking him into the ceiling. Several moths finished this up by zapping Cyborg with their lasers...well, Raven's shield stopped them from connecting, and then destroyed them all, but they tried.

Cyborg fell somewhat helplessly (I say somewhat because he did managed to zap a few moths) before Starfire caught him, managing to zap a few moths as well with her eye lasers. As soon as she set Cyborg down on the ground, Killer Moth struck again, sending Starfire flying. Cyborg tried to punch Killer Moth a few times, but the criminal dodged and his moths attacked for him.

Nightwing leapt for Killer Moth, who simply flew to the roof, taking the majority of his moths with him. He landed, pointing towards the city. "Fly, my pets! Feed and grow strong!" And upon his command, the moths flew towards the city, Killer Moth leading them.

Meanwhile, below, the Titans had just finished off the last of the moths and rushed out, ready to pursue after the main faction. Cyborg was lifted by Raven's powers, a flying disk in form. Starfire, of course, flew, and Nightwing would have gone with her, but...

"Go on," he said. "Someone has to take care of Johnny and the Professor."

Starfire nodded and followed her teammates towards the city. Nightwing, in turn, narrowed his eyes and headed back inside, suspecting that if Johnny Rancid and Professor Chang weren't following, they were doing something else.

He was right.

**0 0 0**

"Oh, boy..." said Beast Boy, as the camera flipped from nearby the power plant towards the city, then changed to a different camera entirely. "This can't end well..." He watched on screen as the Titans began their fight with the moths anew...and there were a _lot_ of moths.

**0 0 0**

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven shouted, encompassing a large amount of moths with black energy and then exploding them all. In response, several moths shot their lasers at her, which she dodged, only to be slammed into by another moth or six.

Cyborg let off a few more blasts with his sonic cannon, then was hit in the back with a laser. "GAH!" he said, then turned and blasted the blaster. "I am SICK and TIRED of getting hit by lasers!"

"I understand what you mean!" said Starfire, rubbing her singed arm before throwing another volley of Starbolts. "But take hope in this: surely the Killer Moth does not have an infinite amount of these creatures!"

"No," said Killer Moth, flying up behind them, "But I have enough to finish you!" and he flew forward, foot first, hitting Cyborg straight off Raven's disk.

"Cyborg!" said Starfire, flying down to catch him. But she was intercepted by another group of moths, whose laser blasts sent her back towards Killer Moth. She turned just in time to get punched, straight in the jaw, by said Moth.

Raven caught the screaming Cyborg just a couple inches off the ground, then floated up behind Killer Moth. "Don't you know that you should never hit a girl?" she said.

"I'm the bad guy, remember?" asked Killer Moth, his pets floating menacingly behind him.

"I'm not saying that for Starfire's sake," said Raven.

As if on a cue, a massive flurry of Starbolts wiped out a few dozen of Killer Moth's moths. "What the-" he started, before a blur slammed into him, sending him flying a good hundred feet before he regained his balance. He flew back forward, shouting a one-syllable battle cry: "YAAAAAH!"

"He is...quite resilient!" said Starfire.

"Yeah, but we've got energy blasts," said Cyborg, raising his sonic cannon. He fired.

Killer Moth dodged to the left, very quickly, and then managed to dodge all Starfire's bolts. Raven also took a shot, but that too was almost effortlessly dodged.

"Wow..." said Raven. "Is it just me, or is he moving faster than usual?"

And as if on cue, Killer Moth suddenly rushed forward, hands raised, and...

...disappeared?

The Titans were stunned, until suddenly a "Whoosh" was heard and Killer Moth appeared behind Cyborg, bringing his hand down. Cyborg was knocked, face first, to the floor of Raven's second disk. Before the Titans could react, the villain disappeared again, reappearing behind Raven and slamming her down into Cyborg and breaking the disk along with Raven's concentration. He disappeared again, and not a split second later, delivered a kick to Starfire that sent her flying after her teammates, who had just regained their momentum.

There was a short wait.

"Why isn't he attacking?" mumbled Cyborg.

"Surely with his teleportation skills, he feels that he is more than a match for us?" Starfire asked, slightly confused. Raven squinted, then suddenly gasped.

"He's distracting us!" Raven shouted. "The moths are headed for the main part of town!" And sure enough, there they were on the horizon, lasers firing occasionally.

The Titans swooped down into the buildings below, going as fast as possible towards the real fight. Killer Moth followed, teleporting occasionally, but never managed to land a hit, though it was all the Titans could do to dodge.

**0 0 0**

Back at the power plant, Nightwing had just stealthily entered the "secret" passageway that Professor Chang and Johnny had claimed as their own...and it was the hallway to the boss's room. So obvious.

Nightwing squinted in the darkness, peeking around the corner to see Johnny, now shirtless, in some kind of test tube or something, and Professor Chang there at a nearby console. "Well, now that the Titans have been distracted by our real plan," said Professor Chang, "We can get started with our REAL real plan!"

"Yeah, sweet!" said Johnny. "This, uh...isn't gonna hurt, is it?"

"Um...sure. Let's go with that..." said the Professor nervously as he pressed a button.

With that, there was a large humming as some kind of gas filled the test tube. Johnny coughed a few times, and then started hacking, and wheezing, and...mutating?

No, wait, armor was just being attached to his body. My bad.

"Finally, I get to use my designs for the ultimate super suit...you shall be the perfect soldier to test it on, Johnny!" Professor Chang gloated. Johnny didn't reply, as he was still choking. "I told you those cigarettes weren't good for your health, but you wouldn't listen to me..."

"But you know what's even more hazardous to your health?" asked Nightwing, one liner in tow as usual as he walked into the room. "Me."

"Nightwi-GAH!" Professor Chang started to say before he was punched across the console and into the test tube, shattering it. He lay there, moaning and pretty much unconscious.

"Alright, Johnny," said Nightwing. "Come along quietly and no one will get hurt,"

As soon as Nightwing finished his sentence, Johnny suddenly _flew_out of the tube, giving Nightwing a solid punch to the jaw. Nightwing was sent into the far wall, neck first. He groaned with pain as he slowly slid down, but looked up as soon as he had recovered, which was remarkably quickly.

Johnny was floating there by means of rocket boots. Thick armor had been attached to every conceivable part of his body, red and black being, as usual, the color scheme. His head was uncovered, except for a pair of sunglasses, tinted red, that hung in front of his eyes. The parts that hung on the ear curved around and into his ear, and formed what looked to Nightwing like hearing enhancers...which, you know, they were.

"Well, well, well..." said Johnny, slowly floating forward. "Looks like the Bird Man doesn't know how to fly yet!" He smirked. "But I do, and I think it's time that you learned how!"

And with that, he gave Nightwing a solid uppercut that sent him through the ceiling and onto the second floor, which was filled with dangerous-looking machinery. Nightwing stood up and readied his bo staff.

A couple seconds passed.

Johnny suddenly flew up through the hole he'd made, a chain in his hands. He twirled one end, which crackled with purple energy, and then tossed it, whipping it as it went. Nightwing barely managed to duck underneath it, but the machine behind him wasn't so lucky, being sliced trough like butter by the chain.

"Like it?" asked Johnny. "It's the latest thing...and don't try and steal it from me, cause these glove's I'm wearing are made of the only material that can touch this energy without getting hurt...and don't think I'm gonna tell you what it is, Bird Man!"

"I may be a bird man, Johnny..." said Nightwing. "But you're going back to Alcatraz!"

And with this taunt, Johnny decided to drop the formalities, and just flew forward, stretching the chain taut before him. Nightwing dodged under, then swung his bo staff roundhouse style. Johnny blocked with his right glove, then punched with his left, which still held the chain.

Nightwing dodged to the side, then kicked Johnny in his chest. Johnny was sent flying back, but was left unharmed thanks to his armor. He flew back down, whipping as he went. Nightwing did a back-flip, dodging the chain, which drew a nice pattern in the ground as it slid along and through it. He then pulled out one of his exploding disks and tossed it. Johnny dodged, and the disk hit the wall.

"Speed, sight, hearing, awesomeness..." said Johnny, "They've all been enhanced!"

"Good," said Nightwing, "You could use a bit more of all of those things."

Johnny growled, then whipped again. Nightwing back-flipped again, this time straight out of a glass-less window. He landed effortlessly on the ground below, and was pursued by Rancid, who kept whipping while Nightwing dodged over and over.

**0 0 0**

People ran, screaming from the moths now attacking the main hub of the city. Lasers flew back and forth. Cars exploded. A building was shot through. One of the moths looked around, then spotted a little kid who had happened to trip as he was running away. His mom ran over to him, picking him up, but was too slow, as the moth charged its laser and...

...was destroyed by a sudden burst of green energy. The kid cheered and the mom sighed with relief as the Titans flew in and began blasting and tossing moths left and right. Then, they screamed when Killer Moth suddenly appeared a couple feet in front of them and punched Cyborg in the jaw...which seemed to be happening a lot lately.

"Pathetic!" said Killer Moth. "My bugs still number in the thousands! They're making fools out your precious city, and its inhabitants! They're-" And he was suddenly picked up by dark energy and thrown into one of his own moths, creating an explosion that wiped out a few more.

"As annoying as he is, he's right," said Raven. "We need some kind of plan."

Cyborg thought a second, then snapped his fingers. While he did this, Starfire shot a starbolt at a group of moths threatening to blow up a grocery store. They all exploded, for the blast was quite large. "I've got it!" said Cyborg. "Johnny's remote! If it started up the bugs..."

"Then it can end them as well! Brilliant!" said Starfire enthusiastically.

"But Johnny's back at the power plant," said Raven, tossing a group of bugs away. "Nightwing is most likely fighting him as we speak...it could take a while."

"Guess we'll have to hold these things off until then," Cyborg said, raising his sonic cannon. Killer Moth teleported behind him, and raised his fist-

Starfire intercepted, driving Killer Moth into a nearby building. "Order your moths to stop attacking the city!" she shouted.

"Or what?" asked Killer Moth, struggling against the alien girl's strength.

"Or else we shall...um..." she turned around, hearing a familiar buzzing noise.

Moths. Several moths. All looking very angry.

"...eep..." Starfire squeaked softly.

"HA HA HA!" said Killer Moth. "I would suggest you release me...or you might not like what happens!"

Raven and Cyborg jumped in front of Starfire, readying themselves. The moths charged their lasers, and Raven and Cyborg fired back, but no matter how much they attacked, more moths seemed to take the place of destroyed ones. Finally, the moths all charged all the way, and at least a hundred prepared to fire...

...suddenly, a flurry of thin, blue lasers took out every single moth threatening the Titans, who gaped along with Killer Moth.

"Mission: Protect the Titans, accomplished," said a voice through some kind of speaker. The Titans (and Killer Moth) looked to see one of Jump City's policemen speaking into his headset. Several other policemen were standing behind him, laser guns raised to fire. "Move on to mission: Protect the City." He looked up to the smiling Titans. "We figured that you guys have protected us so many times that it was time to return the favor."

Suddenly, several hundred more moths flew up from who knows where. The Titans got in battle positions, and so did the officers. "Fine!" said Killer Moth. "If it is a war Jump City wants, it is a war Jump City will get!"

Everyone looked at Killer Moth for a few seconds before Cyborg punched him in the jaw. Killer Moth fell unconscious. "And that's for the booby traps," Cyborg confirmed before everyone moved out.

**0 0 0**

Back at the Tower, Beast Boy watched events unfold rather nervously._-Well, at least I'm not bored anymore...-_ he thought as he stared intently at the screen, wishing he could help out in some way or another. _-Come on, Beast Boy!-_ he thought as he watched Cyborg blast moths while Johnny and Nightwing dueled just outside the power plant. _-Think! There's gotta be something you can do!-_

**0 0 0**

"Gah!" Nightwing shouted as one of the whip's blows grazed him, cutting into his shoulder...coincidentally, the same place Psykinesis had scratched him before.

"Ha ha ha!" said Johnny, twirling his chain. "What's the matter? Did poor little Birdy get a boo-boo?"

Nightwing refused to respond, instead tossing a disk at Johnny, who dodged as expected, then swung his chain again. Nightwing dodged underneath, then threw an exploding disk straight up at Johnny. It contacted. "GWWOOAH!" Johnny shouted, being thrown back. He shook the blow off, then looked around. Nightwing had disappeared. "Alright, Bird Man, where are you?"

And as Johnny flew around, looking for Nightwing, it never occurred to him to look inside the power plant...which was where Nightwing was. In fact, Nightwing had just barely made it inside and shut the door, catching his breath and trying to think up a plan.

And the TV cameras got it all.

**0 0 0**

"Oh, man..." said Beast Boy. "It's only a matter of time before Johnny looks inside the building...I wish there was something, anything I could do to help...the guys really need me out there!" Suddenly, his brain made a connection between his needing them and them needing him. No, this wasn't something psychological, it was a reminder or something he had read earlier that day. He smiled. "Hey! Maybe I can help!"

**0 0 0**

_-Alright, Nightwing...-_ said the superhero in question, _-Think...what is Johnny's weak point...his head! It isn't covered...but how to get to it? How to distract Johnny? Gah, why can't I think of anything?-_

Suddenly, he felt a sudden movement in the pocket of his costume. He pulled out his cell phone and opened it to see a text message. _-What, Beast Boy chooses NOW to need us?!-_ And he read the message:

Dude, ur on tv. I knw wht 2 do. Toss ur comm.

Nightwing blinked a couple times, then smiled. He jumped up to one of the windows, then threw his communicator out, aiming for just behind a pile of rocks. A couple seconds passed.

_**Doot, doo doo doo, doot doo doo doot doo**_

"Aha!" said Johnny, turning in his flight. He landed on the ground and walked over. "Alrighty, Bird Man, are you done hiding from big bad Johnny, or do I need to force you to come...what the?" he said as he looked behind the rocks, finding only a communicator where he expected Nightwing to be.

CLUNK!

Johnny's eyes bugged out and his sunglasses flew off, his mouth majorly grimacing. He stayed in that humorous position for a couple seconds before falling, face first, onto the rocks a foot below him. Nightwing stood behind him, metal of his bo staff still quivering. "You really should have gotten armor for your head, too, Johnny..." he said, smiling a little. He picked up the communicator, still ringing, and opened it. "Thanks, Beast Boy."

"No problem, dude!" the green changeling replied.

**0 0 0**

Back in the city, the Titans and the police were all fighting the moths. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!" warned Cyborg, blasting another group.

"We must!" said Starfire, firing with her powers as well. "If we do not, the city will be destroyed!"

"But no pressure or anything," mumbled Raven. Her communicator suddenly rang. She pulled it out, simultaneously waving a nearby car into a group of low-flying moths and dodging some laser blasts from another group. "Yes, Nightwing?"

"I've got Johnny and Professor Chang in custody," said Nightwing. "How are you guys doing?"

"We could use some help over here!" shouted Cyborg. "YIPES!" he shouted even louder as a laser blast hit the ground near his foot. A policeman's shot destroyed the moth that did this.

"Have you obtained Johnny's remote?" asked Starfire.

"I have it right here," said Nightwing. "I assume you guys want me to shut off the moths?"

"Please and thanks!" responded Starfire, tossing a starbolt over her shoulder. Another moth down.

"I'll be there as soon as possible," said Nightwing, shutting off communications directly afterward.

With that, the Titans turned and continued to do battle. Cyborg punched down a low-flying moth, then tossed the debris at another pair. One dodged while the other exploded, and then the surviving one stopped surviving due to sonic cannon.

"Hah!" said Cyborg. "How do you like me now?" And, in response, three moths shot in attached themselves to Cyborg. "Hey, I don't want you to like me that much...OW!" and their antennae shocked him.

Raven was having similar troubles...the moths had found a strategy that worked. "This is absolutely disgusting," she said.

"Indeed!" said Starfire, reaching to try and get one of the moths off her back. Finally she gave up and zapped it off with a starbolt. A familiar hum rang through the air as the moths swarmed, kamikaze tactics the new plan. Moths came from everywhere, attaching and trying to eat every-

TRYING TO EAT?

"Yo, man! I am not an appetizer! Or the main course!" shouted Cyborg, trying to pry one moth off his arm. The poor policemen were all in pain, and the Titans were hurting too, albeit significantly less.

"And I do not wish to be dessert!" said Starfire, suddenly surrounding herself with an aura of energy and blasting off the bugs. She smiled, and then six more latched onto her.

The Titans struggled like this for about a minute before the moths suddenly stopped eating, their "eyes" widening, and suddenly fell off onto the ground, motionless.

"Hey, guys!" shouted Nightwing, getting the others' attention. The criminals were tied to the back of his motorcycle and the remote was being bounced in his hand. "What'd I miss?"

**0 0 0**

"I've scanned the data from my built-in video camera," said Cyborg to the policeman. "Killer Moth wasn't teleporting, he was just moving REALLY fast...so keep his arms and legs securely cuffed...and his wings...and you should be fine." The policeman nodded, then radioed the information to his fellow officers. Meanwhile, two other policemen had just succeeded in removing all of Johnny's armor. "What should we do with this?" asked one.

"Give it to the government," said the other. "They could probably use if we have another war."

Professor Chang gasped. "My weapons...being used by the government?" And he sobbed.

"Ah, shut your trap..." said Johnny. "I can't believe I ever agreed to this plan!"

"I can't believe you turned my daughter over to the police!" said Killer Moth as said police escorted the criminals into the van.

"Call it revenge for having your big moth swallow me," said Johnny.

"THAT WAS FOUR YEARS AGO! GET OVER IT ALREADY!" shouted Killer Moth as the doors shut.

The van began to drive away, and as it did, you could vaguely make out the sounds of an argument.

"So...is it true, then?" asked Starfire of a nearby pair of policemen. "You really do have Kitten in custody?"

"Affirmative," said one. "Just came in on the headset."

"Really?" said the other. "I didn't hear anything..."

"Yours is broken, see?" said the first, flicking the...well, broken antennae.

"Ah, you're right...I'll have to fix that."

"And so," said Arnold Treebend, walking on camera, "The day is saved once again, thanks to the Titans! And remember, when you first saw this big story, it was on channel 7's live coverage of your city! Not channel 6's!"

"Um...dude?" said the cameraman. Arnold turned around, then looked very scared.

"Oh, um...hello, Titans!" he said. "Um...mind giving a word or two to channel 7? Heh heh heh..." The Titans looked no less angry

"Better than that, I'll give you seven..." said Nightwing. "Civilians aren't supposed to be around battles."

"But I'm not just a civilian...I'm ace reporter Arnold Treebend!" said Arnold Treebend.

"Raven?" asked Starfire, half-innocently. "Wasn't Arnold Treebend the one who presented all those fake videos of us in last month's Jump City Examiner?"

"Including that one that supposedly showed that me and Starfire were lovers, that Cyborg watched Care Bears on his arm-screen, and that when Beast Boy was away, you slept with a little doll of him in your arms?" asked Nightwing, also a lot less innocently than the question sounded by the tone of his voice.

"Why, yes, I believe he was," said Raven, now looking angry. Arnold started to sweat, and the camera zoomed in on him.

"Well, what do you guys think we should do about it?" asked Cyborg, leaning in towards Arnold menacingly. The others did the same. Arnold looked around, then looked straight into the camera and said, in a squeaky voice, "Well...that's all for today's news of the Titans...keep tuned in...for the Chef Bleuski marathon...coming up next..."

And then all the Titans attacked, a cloud of smoke and several appendages appearing where a TV reporter used to be. Back at the tower, Beast Boy laughed his head off. And then grimaced because of the pain.

**0 0 0**

**Same Day, 9:03 PM**

**0 0 0**

"Ah..." said the policeman, still in his uniform but not carrying his gun. The policeman walking next to him was doing the same. "Today has been a long day..."

"Tell me about it," said the other. "But at least we got all of those criminals arrested."

"Yep. Always feels good to put in a good day's work," said the first. "Ah, well, maybe tomorrow will be better."

"Yeah, and maybe the department won't charge you for the antennae you broke!" joked the second.

"Heh...got that right," agreed the first, a little remorsefully. "Well...good night, Ted."

"Good night, Sam," said Ted entering the door to his house. He stepped inside, not bothering to greet anybody, for a bachelor he was. He suddenly started...chuckling?

"Fools.." he said. "The plan may not have worked..." and here "he" pulled off his mask...

...it was Kitten. "But we managed to pull off one last trick!" And she gave off an evil laugh.

And that would be where the chapter ends. Notes!

"Nightwing stopped his jet-black motorcycle outside one of the...shadier spots in town."

I wanted Nightwing to have a new cycle, but couldn't think of a name for it...anyone have any suggestions? They'll get their name in the author's note of the first chapter I mention the name in if they give me a name I like!

"Before Bill could begin, an overly-make-upped blond in a slinky red cocktail dress sat down next to Nightwing. "Yo, Bill...gimme the usual."

Why did I put this girl in? It doesn't add anything to the plot! Well...two reasons...

To show off Nightwing's powers of observation.

To fill up space. I have a 30 page goal for each chapter.

"He also held a cigarette between two fingers."

Johnny seems like the type to do anything he wants no matter how badly it will hurt him and other people...even when he knows how badly it'll hurt.

"_**The Earth...is...mine! AGAIN!"**_

In case you didn't figure it out, I was referring to Trigon with this sentence. Very bad situation, that would be.

"Sayanora!"

Yes, I know this isn't Spanish, it's Japanese...but Johnny doesn't know that.

"And as if on cue, Killer Moth suddenly rushed forward, hands raised, and...disappeared?"

I wanted to emphasize the fact that the Titans aren't the only ones who have improved over the years...and shooting up Killer Moth's speed seemed appropriate, so meh.

"We figured that you guys have protected us so many times that it was time to return the favor."

Seriously, how many times have the police had their butts saved by the Titans? At any rate, I figured that they weren't going to stand by and take another moth invasion too lightly, plus this means the good guys can even the odds a bit.

"I assume you guys want me to shut off the moths?"

And just like the first large moth invasion, the remote is key to defeating the bad guy...I feel so unoriginal.

"My weapons...being used by the government?"

A little bit of Professor Chang's soviet heritage (see episode: Snowblind) still exists in the form of hatred for the U.S. government...at least, it does in my fic. And my hatred for the following grows...

DISCLAIMER: Teen Titans does not belong to me. It belongs to DC Comics and Glen Murakami. I think Teen Titans was actually the only property I mentioned in the chapter.

That said, ahem...

God bless you all!


	6. Death of a Titan

SORRY I'M LATE WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN YEAH RIGHT OKAY THEN. At any rate, bad news: this chapter is going to be about 8 pages shorter than usual. (Aww...) But it deals with some relationship issues and shows a bit how the world was affected by BB and Rae's marriage! (YAY!) Well, kind of, anyway. At any rate, thanks go to acosta perez jose ramiro for giving me the idea that Beast Boy might use amnesia as an excuse for his memory loss...thanks, dude! Let the chapter begin!

* * *

"And so then," said Starfire once the Titans had gotten back to the tower and several hours before the end of last chapter, "I heard a large, girly scream emanating from Killer Moth's house." Cyborg suddenly looked scared. "According to Cyborg, the TV had switched on and off by itself...but for this I am thankful, for that was what allowed me to locate Cyborg, who was hanging down into a pit of lasers which he could not get out of."

The Titans were silent. "The TV?" Raven finally asked.

"Yes," said Starfire, "Though I must confess, I did not observe a television upon my entering of the house..." All the other Titans (except Cyborg) looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Raven even chuckled a bit. Cyborg just hung his head, shaking it. "Please, friends...what is so funny?" Starfire asked naively.

Beast Boy let off a few last chuckles, then started looking somewhat forlorn. Nightwing noticed. "Hey, Beast Boy...are you feeling alright?"

Beast Boy looked up to Nightwing. "Um, actually...uh, how do I say this? I...I think I might have lost a bit of my memory..."

"What?" said Nightwing, as he and the other Titans started.

"I-I didn't forget anything important!" Beast Boy was quick to affirm. "Just stuff like...like dates. I can't remember what day Raven and I got married..."

"That can't be good..." mumbled Cyborg. "You sure you haven't forgotten anything important, dawg? Well...more important, I mean..."

"Heh...if I have, I can't remember..." joked Beast Boy before chuckling.

No one laughed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Nightwing.

"I wish I could say for sure..." said Beast Boy. "At any rate, I'm just wondering if I can have a peek at the Titans' mainframe...just to get some things straight in my head..."

"Of course," said Nightwing. "We'll leave you alone, just in case you need to look up anything a bit more personal...but if you feel lonely, I think Raven would be willing to keep you company..." And he looked at her as if to say "That would be an order." Not that he actually said this out loud, of course, but you get what I mean.

"Sure," said Raven. "Alright with you, Beast Boy?"

"Of course," said Beast Boy. And with that, the other Titans exited the sick bay, leaving Beast Boy and Raven alone.

"See you later," said Nightwing.

"I hope your recovery goes well and safely!" said Starfire.

"Like she said, get well soon, BB," said Cyborg.

After the door closed, Beast Boy let off a sigh of relief. "Phew...I can't believe it worked!"

"That was a pretty good idea," said Raven. "Although, if you'd tried hard enough, you may have been able to remember a thing or two..."

"What? Did you remember something about our...uh, ahem, marriage?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yes," said Raven. "Although it was easier for me, because Rude happened to 'pop' one of my residual memories up to the surface somehow...I have no idea how she did it, and none of the other emotions do either...I don't think she knows how, herself..."

"Huh...cool," said Beast Boy. "But, then again, we all know I don't have a mind like yours, so...time to take a look at the Titans' Timeline!"

"That can't seriously be what it's called..." mumbled Raven as Beast Boy pulled out a laptop and logged in. There was a couple minutes of silence while the machine confirmed Beast Boy's authorization, as it had only been granted, temporarily, a couple minutes ago. Raven took advantage of these couple minutes. "Um, Beast Boy...about what happened..." she said, not looking him in the eye...or face..or body. She was turned away from him, leaning slightly against the bed.

Beast Boy snapped out of his finger-tapping session and looked up to Raven, now completely focused on her. No, not like that. "Y-yeah?" he said, a little caught off-guard.

"I..." and she looked at Beast Boy for a few seconds. "I...I don't think I'm ready to talk about it...I-I'm still learning how to do this kind of stuff...I'm really sorry, but it could be a while before we talk about that argument..."

"Oh, that's cool. I totally understand," said Beast Boy, grinning and giving a thumbs up. Still, Raven could feel the small amount of disappointment under his smile, and that, like all things in life, is what she chose to focus on.

"_Coward..."_said Brave, in one of the few instances where an emotion's voice came through loud and clear. _"At least say something about the note!"_

"A..and about the note...I'm sorry for...what I wrote..." Raven said, a little reluctantly.

Beast Boy looked up again, now confused. "Huh? What'd you write?"

Raven became slightly irritated. _-Of course he wouldn't spot it,-_ she thought, _-He's Beast Boy! Now you have to explain things to him...that's gonna make things a hundred times worse!-_

"Rae? You there?" Beast Boy asked, still confused.

"Don't call me Rae!" she snapped, turning towards Beast Boy. Beast Boy reared back. Raven sighed. "Sorry...what I said in the note...'go play video games', you remember?"

"Yeah..." Beast Boy said, still confused.

"And that satellite, it caused you to be hurt...it was a lot like a video game!" Raven said, now slightly panicked over her conflicting emotions. "That's what everyone compared it to...and that's how you got hurt! Well, got hurt worse, I mean...I..."

"Raven! It's okay!" said Beast Boy, lifting his arms slightly, palms raised. "I didn't even realize, and it's not that big a deal...even if I had realized that, it probably would have occurred to me you didn't mean it like that. So...apology accepted, alright?"

Raven let off a sigh of relief. "Okay..." she said.

"There, now!" said Beast Boy. "Talking to me isn't so bad..."

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one apologizing..." Raven mumbled.

Beast Boy thought for a couple seconds, eyeballs toward the ceiling and chin being rubbed by hand. "You have a point," Beast Boy murmured. "Still, you make it sound like all video games are button-mashing melees that don't require any thought at all."

"Which they are," Raven said, emotionlessly...okay, maybe she was a little irritated.

"Says you," said Beast Boy. "In fact, one of my favorite games is the exact opposite...a game that needs very little button hitting and a LOT of thought process!" He suddenly frowned, snapping his fingers repeatedly. "What was that game's name...maybe I did lose some memory after all...well, at any rate, you play as a defense attorney."

"A...defense attorney?" Raven asked.

"Yeah! All your clients have been framed for murder, and you go around investigating crime scenes to get them declared not guilty!" Beast Boy said, face brightening. "You'd probably love it!...then again, the game does have an insane sense of humor, and you have no sense of humor at all, so..."

"I have a sense of humor," said Raven. "You just have a lousy one."

Beast Boy looked like he was going to retort, then decided to continue talking about the game. "Yeah, well...at any rate, the game rocks...but it took me like, forever to beat the whole thing without using a guide...forever and about nineteen save points and a hundred extra lives..."

"Still can't be that complex of a game if you could figure it out," mumbled Raven, leaning on the bedrail again.

Beast Boy raised his eyebrow at her, though she couldn't see. "Why do you hate video games, anyway? Are video games, like, against your religion or something?"

"Beast Boy, I'm the daughter of a demon," Raven reminded him.

"So...does that make you a Diabolist?" Beast Boy asked, only half-serious.

"No it doesn't," said Raven. Then, suddenly, she turned, eyes slightly wider than normal. "Where did you learn that word, anyway?"

"From a book," Beast Boy said, smirking and with eyebrow raised. He turned to the computer, which still hadn't quite gotten authorization. Stupid week-old technology...

"Oh, so you _can_ read," said Raven. "Who would've thought?"

"Oh, I read," said Beast Boy, "I just read stuff that interests me. I don't really bother too much with the other stuff."

"So...what kind of books interest you, then?" Raven asked, curious in spite of herself.

"Comic books, fantasy novels, and oddities," said Beast Boy.

"Yeah, that'll get you far in life..." Raven mumbled.

"Abraham Lincoln moved his lips when he read," said Beast Boy. "That is a historical fact."

Raven blinked. "While that is, admittedly, interesting, what possible use could you get out of that?"

"Probably none," admitted Beast Boy. The computer suddenly dinged. "Alright! I'm in!"

**0 0 0**

Cyborg had gone back to sleep, in his room, leaving Nightwing and Starfire alone. That gave Nightwing the perfect opportunity to do what every boy dreams of...

"Oh, Nightwing, you should not have done this!" Starfire squealed, ecstatic at the prospect of talking to Nightwing over a romantic, home-cooked meal.

Okay, maybe this isn't what all guys dream about. Sue me.

"Only the best for my girl," said Nightwing, before giving her a quick peck on the cheek. She giggled. "Now then," he said, walking over to the stove, "Time to get cooking!" And he cracked his knuckles, pulling out the cookbook afterwards.

"Mmm...all this is quite romantic..." Starfire said, sitting down on one of the two chairs by the wooden table. It's fancy tablecloth and two candles completed the picture of the stereotypical romantic meal.

"Well, I figured since I never took you out to lunch like Beast Boy does Raven, maybe we should have a home-cooked meal, instead," Nightwing said, reminding Starfire of the words she had spoken yesterday. She giggled, and Nightwing pulled out a pot. He held it up, motioning to it. "Spaghetti sound alright to you?"

"That sounds most delightful," said Starfire.

Nightwing smiled, and then put the pot on the burner, reaching to turn it on. "Well, then let's get this party star-"

BOOM!

Nightwing stood there, upper body singed and small hole in stove, as Starfire gasped and Cyborg, who apparently had not been asleep after all, fell to the ground out from his hiding place and started laughing uproariously. The pot came back down from the air, landing with a heavy clunk.

"You had this all planned out from the moment I asked you what I should do about mine and Starfire's mini-fight, didn't you?" Nightwing asked Cyborg, who stood up, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Yes, I did..." murmured Cyborg. "I can't believe you fell for that, man!" And he started laughing again. This was the only sound heard for several seconds.

Nightwing finally spoke up once Cyborg's laughter had died down. "Cyborg...you have five seconds to start running before I give the okay for Starfire to give chase and dismantle you." Cyborg screeched and started running. Starfire stood up, angry look on her face and starbolts in her hands. "One...tw-FIVE!" And he turned and pointed

With a mighty shout and a large shockwave, Starfire took off after Cyborg. Exactly 1.3 seconds later, a large explosion and a rather girly scream were heard.

"You have ruined me and my boyfriend's giligrom!" Starfire shouted as another explosion was heard. Burning shrapnel flew a couple feet into the room. One bit looked vaguely like one of Cyborg's fingers. Nightwing, meanwhile, ignored all this, whistling contentedly as he picked up the pan, put it on another burner, and turned on the stove.

**0 0 0**

"Huh...it really is named Titans' Timeline..." Raven mumbled.

"Well, duh. I came up with the name...Robin just happened to like it!" Beast Boy said. Before Raven could respond along the lines of 'That explains the name quite nicely.', Beast Boy had already entered the search function. "Beast Boy, Raven, Marriage..." he murmured as he typed in the keywords. He pressed enter. A couple seconds later, two entries popped up. In order of relevancy, the first was 'Beast Boy and Raven's Wedding Day'. "Looks like we got married on Christmas Eve..." said Beast Boy. "That's kind of romantic..."

"Just click on the link..." Raven murmured, rolling her eyes.

Beast Boy sweatdropped, then clicked on the link. He cleared his throat and began to read. "After several months' delay due to villainous attacks on the city, Beast Boy and Raven were wed on December 24th, Christmas Eve. Christmas Day, the two newlyweds put off their honeymoon in order to spend the holiday with their friends. They wasted no time after that, however, and left for Italy on the 26th." Beast Boy looked up. "Italy, huh? Not sure that's where I would have chosen for my honeymoon...I always wanted to go to Hawaii...I wonder what changed?"

"Keep reading," said Raven, a monotoned anger in her voice.

Beast Boy coughed nervously, then turned back towards the computer screen. "Replacing them temporarily for the week Beast Boy and Raven were gone were the two honorary Titans Argent and Kilowatt. Due to their exemplary performance in the area of protecting the city, they are being considered for membership in the newly-formed Titans Europe, headed by Slag." Beast Boy looked up again. "Titans Europe, that's cool...although I don't think I've ever heard of Slag..."

"Quit with the comments and keep reading," Raven said, anger now a bit more evident in her voice.

Beast Boy chuckled nervously, then kept reading. "There were several other Honorary Titans considered to replace Beast Boy and Raven while they were gone, however...among those considered were Kid Flash and Jinx, but these two were quickly erased as options after..." Beast Boy suddenly stopped reading, and paled.

"What is it?" Raven asked, sensing something was wrong.

Beast Boy gulped, then read quietly, "After Jinx was killed in a fight with Brother Blood..."

"Jinx is dead?" Raven asked, very surprised as she whipped to the computer screen, hoping this was some kind of sick prank.

Beast Boy kept reading in that remorseful, quiet voice he has when he wants to. "Jinx's funeral was held on October 28th. After that day, Kid Flash seemed distant and cold, and his crime-fighting suffered. Finally, one day, a group of thugs he met in an alley beat him up, ridiculed him, took some of his personal belongings, and left him there for dead. Kid Flash managed to survive, however, when a passing policeman notified a nearby hospital. The next day, November 12th, Kid Flash woke up only to see his super heroic identity and his real identity side by side on the television screen...his wallet, which had been stolen, carried his driver's license, which contained several aspects of his personal life, including his true identity as Wally West, which his muggers had sold to a major news studio. The fact that he was carrying his license around with him even as Kid Flash only proves that his mind was not completely functioning in the time after Jinx's death."

"Woah..." said Raven, wide-eyed.

"There's more," said Beast Boy grimly. "After three days of hospital care and media onslaught, Kid Flash was desperate. During the night, in a break between forced interviews and flashing bulbs, Wally West committed suicide. He was found, battered and broken, among the rocks below his third story-window. A quickly-written suicide note explained that the revelation of his identity was something he felt he could normally take, but that without Jinx, with whom a relationship had just started blossoming, he felt he had nothing to live for, and that this situation had simply been 'the straw that broke Kid Flash's back'. His funeral was held on November 22nd.

"I don't believe it..." Raven whispered.

"Wait...there still more..." Beast Boy said, now angry at life for doing this to him. "Among the first considered for the job was the Honorary Titan The Herald, but he too was quickly dismissed as an option after he was reported missing by his girlfriend Bumblebee the day after Beast Boy's proposal to Raven. To this day, he has not been found, and is presumed to be dead."

"This is ridiculous..." said Raven. "W...why is this even on here? It barely has anything to do with our marriage!"

"Don't look at me, ask the Boy Wonder," said Beast Boy. "He types all this out."

Raven gave an exasperated sigh. "Just great," said Raven. "Not only are we forced to wed and be wed, but three Titans have been eliminated in this sick, twisted, demented...despicable reality! GAH!"

Beast Boy gave a low whistle. "This is pretty bad," he said, understating the obvious. He thought for a second, then clicked on the link under 'related stories' titled 'missing Titans'. He read through the short list quickly, then looked up, sighing again. "Apparently, besides The Herald, Hotspot is missing as well..." He suddenly realized something. "But Terra isn't..." He quickly typed in her name, then pressed the Enter button.

"Still interested in her?" Raven asked, a bit of a bitter tone in her voice.

"Are you jealous?" Beast Boy responded with a false smile and and a fake-cheerful tone of voice, before frowning and looking at the computer screen. Raven grunted as Beast Boy started. "There's...there's no entry on Terra...anywhere..." Beast Boy said. "It's like...she never existed..." He pulled down the calender, then selected the day the Titans had met Terra.

Nothing.

"Apparently, she doesn't exist..." said Raven, leaning forward to the computer as Beast Boy sat back, stunned. Raven frowned, but it wasn't an unhappy frown. "Good."

Beast Boy gritted his teeth, sitting up and looking exceedingly angry. "You still hate her? Well, I guess that's to be expected from the DAUGHTER of a DEMON!" As soon as he said this, he suddenly looked surprised and sad, slapping his hand over his mouth.

Raven slowly, agonizingly slowly, turned and looked at Beast Boy. Tears were flowing down her cheeks. "Is that..._all_ that you think of me?" Raven asked, pain evident in her voice. Beast Boy opened his mouth, but no words came out. Raven sobbed, covered her eyes with her hands, and gritted her teeth. After a couple seconds, she looked up, putting her hood back over her face. All traces of sadness were gone from her manner and her voice, and yet somehow this only served to magnify Beast Boy's guilt and her visible pain. "I suspected as much," she said. "I'm going to my room."

And so she turned and walked out, and it was only after she closed the door that Beast Boy could choke out a soft "Wait!" There were a few moments of silence after this. Beast Boy slowly sank in the bed, frowning deeply. "You...moron!" he said to himself, closing his eyes tightly. He opened them suddenly, ferocity on his face. "GAAAH!" he shouted, picking up his laptop and throwing it against the wall, hard.

As Beast Boy picked it up, he hit the button on the keyboard equivalent to a mouse, pressing the back button on the screen. As the laptop hit the wall, breaking into two pieces, the article pertaining to his and Raven's union was clearly shown, and Beast Boy saw it. Having emulated Raven on the night of the carnival perfectly up to that point, he continued to feel in that same context, his former anger at himself replaced by a dull sadness. He leaned back on his bed...and that was where all similarity suddenly ended.

"I have to do something to fix this," Beast Boy said, utter and complete determination in his voice.

**0 0 0**

"Okay!" said Nightwing. "The spaghetti is ready and so am I! Let's get this date started!"

Starfire giggled as Nightwing laid a generous helping of spaghetti on the plate sitting between them. "I am ready as well," said Starfire, smirking, "But do not expect me to share a spaghetti string with you."

"Aww..." said Nightwing in mock-disappointment, "But that's why I made spaghetti in the first place..." Starfire giggled again, and Nightwing smiled and chuckled. She picked up her fork, twirled it in the spaghetti, and took a bite, chewing slowly and daintily.

"Mmm..." said Starfire before swallowing. "Though I miss many things about Tameran, fighting over our dishes is not one of those things."

"Yeah," said Nightwing, having poured himself a glass of water and now picking up his fork. "It's nice to relax every now and then, isn't it?"

"Indeed," said Starfire. "Though, to be truthful, I cannot unwrap my mind from around the matter of the satellite earlier today..."

Nightwing swallowed his spaghetti and his meatball. "I know what you mean," he said, frowning. "I can't make heads or tails of what went wrong up there...or who could've done it..."

"Well, then we should talk about other things, yes?" asked Starfire.

"Probably for the best," agreed Nightwing. "So, um..." _-Come on, think of something to say...-_ "How have you been doing lately, Starfire?"

"I am unable to complain," Starfire said. "I have wondrous friends, a wondrous boyfriend...life is quite enjoyable."

"Glad to hear it," said Nightwing. Inside, he thought, _-Is THAT the best you can come up with?-_ He coughed, then took a sip of water.

"Is something wrong, my boyfriend?" asked Starfire.

"Yeah, the spaghetti sauce," said Nightwing. "I put too much spice in it...it's really hot..."

"It seems the perfect temperature to me," said Starfire. "But, then Tameranean tastes are naturally inclined to spicier foods...it is why I love mustard as a beverage so much."

"That explains it," said Nightwing. "I'd always wondered."

"Yes..." said Starfire, a small amount of suggestiveness (GASP!) in her voice, "I am quite inclined towards the 'hot' flavors...you are one of them."

Nightwing spit out his water. Forcefully. Then, slightly choking: "S-st-Starfire! D-d you realize what that word m-means?"

Starfire smiled, eyes closed, the picture of innocence again. "It means, in reference to a person, that they are very much physically attractive in your eyes."

"Um...yeah...o-okay then..." Nightwing said, blushing.

There were a few moments in which the only sounds that could be heard were the clanking of silverware. Finally, Starfire spoke up. "Nightwing?" she asked.

"Yeah, Starfire?" he responded.

"Do you think that I am 'hot'?"

A bit of leftover explosives still in the stove went off, directly behind Nightwing.

Nightwing was VERY startled. Mentally, though, he was running through a list...

_-Smokin' hot, hotter than a volcano, hotter than the sun, hotter than any girl I've ever met...NONE OF THESE SOUND APPROPRIATE! Wait, I've got it! You're so hot my temperature is rising! No, that's lame...what am I supposed to say?-_

"Nightwing?"

"GAH!" he shouted. "Oh...Starfire. Um...what were we talking about?" he asked, hoping that somehow or other he had misheard her.

"I asked you if you think that I am physically attractive." Starfire reminded.

"That's what I thought you said..." mumbled Nightwing a little grouchily. He sighed. "Well...um...I don't...really know how to say this, but..."

"Yes, Nightwing?" Starfire asked, eyes wide...shining eyes...cute eyes...

Nightwing swallowed. "Well, I...y-yeah, I think you're very, um...very hot, Starfire..." _-This is so awkward...-_ he thought. "You're definitely the best looking girl I've ever seen..." he finally said, falling back on a slightly altered item from the checklist.

"Truly?" said Starfire a little breathily.

"Yeah..." said Nightwing, breathing a sigh of relief. "Truly."

Starfire smiled hugely. "Oh, thank you, dearest boyfriend!" she said, hugging him tightly. "It is very nice to hear you say that!" And she gave him a peck on the cheek. He blushed madly. They both sat down and ate in silence...until Starfire suddenly looked worried

"Nightwing," she said, something having occurred to her. "You do not suppose that...Slade might have returned and caused that satellite to attack us, do you?"

"I hope not, Starfire..." said Nightwing. "I hope not..."

**0 0 0**

Meanwhile, in her room, Raven was meditating. She was neither talking nor listening to her emotions, but she heard a few snippets of their conversations nevertheless. The snippets were mainly Anger's, although Timid had a bit of say every now and then. Knowledge was trying to make herself heard, but wasn't having much luck.

"Azarath, Metrion...ugh!" she said, stopping her meditation session and pounding her hands on the bed. "Why is it so hard to meditate? Why can't I control my emotions?"

You see, ever since she'd woken up two days ago, Raven had felt a slight increase in her emotion's...awareness, shall we say. She put it off as a minor, unimportant thing, and it was...until now. Now, it was like her emotions were totally untethered and out of control...like she'd never had control over them. She was slowly starting to regain control, but was also worried something like this would happen again.

_-I can't believe I actually cried in front of Beast Boy...-_ she thought. _-How could I let that happen?...What's WRONG with me?- _She put her face in her clenched fists, trying to shut out the light from the windows...she wanted nothing, not even her basic senses, to interfere with her thinking processes. Plus, she had a headache. _-It's not like what he said wasn't right anyway...I am the daughter of a demon...-_ She stood and walked over to the window. She appeared to stare at the city outside, but in reality was staring at nothing. _-Eye for an eye, I suppose...I said something truthfully mean about him, so he does the same...I don't blame him...but still...part of me thought for a second that he was more than that...- _She sighed. _-Where is this coming from? What could my emotions be doing?-_

And what COULD her emotions be doing? Well, let's find out...

**0 0 0**

"Look," said Knowledge, "Raven's current line of thinking is irrational...we need to inject some reality into the situation-"

"HELLO!" shouted Anger. "This IS reality! Beast Boy hates us! I always KNEW he did! And I hate him..."

Affection sniffed, wiping her cheeks. "Well, I don't..." she said. "How could he be...how could he say such a horrible thing?" And she sobbed greatly.

"Beast Boy finally grew a spine, apparently," said Rude. "Whoop-de-freakin'-doo..."

"Believe it or not, Rude, some of us are more affected by his words than you are!" said Wisdom, raising her voice...Anger was rubbing off on everyone.

Timid wailed loudly, a break from her monotonous sobbing. "Why did...why did...guh..."

"Shut your trap!" said Anger.

"YOU shut it!" said Brave, moving closer to protect Timid if need be. "Your hatred for Terra is what drove us into this mess, and-"

"I had nothing to do with this!" shouted Anger. "BEAST BOY was the one who insulted US!" She looked around the circle of emotions. "This is exactly why we should never talk to Beast Boy about what happened! His mouth moves before his brain does! He's the king of morons!"

"And you are the queen of chaos, Anger!" said Wisdom. "We need to talk with Beast Boy now more than ever!"

"NO!" shouted Timid. "What if he says something else? W-we could stop being friends!"

"Big whoop," said Rude, opening a soda. She lifted it up to take a drink, before suddenly

SMACK!

Rude spit the soda out, as she had just been smacked in the head. "HEY!" she shouted, turning to Affection, the slapper. "What was that for, Stupid Cupid?"

"For saying that our relationship with Beast Boy is like nothing when it's really the most precious thing we have!"

"Yeah, Soda-brain," said Anger, utilizing a rude nickname of her own, "You of all people should realize that, considering that you are pretty much Beast Boy's perfect match and all!"

"WHAT?" said Rude, unable to take what she dished...at least, not without getting angry.

"Settle down, all of you!" said Wisdom. "We are getting nowhere fast like this!"

"We need to teach Beast Boy a lesson!" said Brave.

"No, don't!" squealed Timid. "Beast Boy...Beast Boy's our friend! He-"

"His behavior as of late hasn't been very friendly..." said Knowledge, sadness finally showing on her face as well. "His lack of tact in the matter of Ter...of that incident shows little regard for our feelings at all...what could he have been thinking?"

"I know what he was thinking..." Affection said, sobbing again. "He wants Terra and not us...he's going to leave us..."

Timid gasped. Rude then filled in the silence (well, almost silence) afterwards: "Good riddance to bad rubbish..." she mumbled, though you could tell by the look in her eyes that she didn't really mean it.

"What'll...what'll we do without him?" Timid asked in her usual fashion.

"He's not leaving us," said Knowledge. "That thought is very-"

"Illogical," interrupted Rude, "We get it, Bookworm..."

"But what if he does?" asked Timid. "What'll we do?"

"Let him leave already..." said Brave. "He's just a coward anyway...attacking where we're most vulnerable...and he hasn't even come to apologize!"

There was a short silence. "We have not exactly set a good example in that area," pointed out Wisdom.

"Ah, he's bounced back from worse than what we said," said Rude. "He's pretty tough, I'll give him that..."

"And Raven is very, very fragile..." murmured Anger. "HE of all people should know that!"

"Why would he know more than anyone else?" Knowledge asked, failing to see the logic of that argument.

"Blah blah blah blah BLECK!" said Rude, answering in place of Anger's usual angry retort.

"You know what?" said Brave. "I say we make sure he knows what he's gotten himself into by insulting us!"

"That sounds reasonable..." said Anger. "'An eye for an eye', right Knowledge?"

"W-what?" asked Knowledge, stunned her own logic had been used against her. "I...that doesn't apply to this situation at all!"

"Doesn't it?" asked Anger. "I can't believe you missed such an obvious fact, Knowledge! Where's your book-smarts gone to, hmm?" And on the inside, she thought:_-Come on, take the bait...-_

Knowledge fumed, then thought a second. "I suppose that our going to, erm, 'teach him a lesson' could be seen as payback for the insult...but then, that we mean he would also be entitled to teach US a lesson for our insult!"

"We all know Beast Boy's too soft-hearted for that," said Anger, glad Knowledge had been able to spot what Anger hadn't known for sure was there. "But just because he doesn't collect on the payment, doesn't mean that we shouldn't."

"Knowledge!" said Wisdom suddenly. "She is twisting your logic for her own gain!"

"Now how can I be twisting Knowledge's logic when SHE'S the one who said it, hm?" Anger asked. Several emotions murmured. Knowledge tried to reply, but the voice of reason was lost in the mob mentality of falsehood. "So, then..." Anger almost _hissed_, "How do we pay back Beast Boy?"

_Knock knock knock._

**0 0 0**

A few minutes before this point, Beast Boy stumbled into the common room, where Nightwing and Starfire were just finishing their meal-

"YAAAH!" shouted Nightwing, slipping as he cleared the table. He landed face first in the remainder of the spaghetti on the plate. Starfire giggled and Nightwing looked up, embarrassed scowl on his face. Beast Boy would've laughed, but he was too serious at the moment.

Nightwing heard Beast Boy's steps and looked towards him. "Beast Boy? What are you doing up?"

"I said something stupid to Raven, and now I'm going to apologize," said Beast Boy, walking the whole time he said this and without looking back.

There was a couple moment's silence once he left the common room. "Nightwing?" Starfire finally asked.

"Yeah, Starfire?" he asked back.

"Should I evacuate the city?"

**0 0 0**

"Okay, Beast Boy..." said the green changeling, now in front of the door to his (and Raven's) room. "No reason to be afraid...Raven isn't going to kill you for apologizing!" He gulped. "She'll probably wait until afterwards..." He took a deep breath, slowly reached his fist up to the door, and...

_Knock knock knock._ That's where we left off.

"Who is it?" came a montoned voice from inside. Beast Boy gulped again.

"Ah, it's...uh...Beast Boy," he said. "I came to apologize...I said probably the worst possible thing I could've said back there...I'm sorry."

There was a short silence, although it seemed a lot longer to Beast Boy.

Raven finally opened the door a crack. "You're...apologizing?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Beast Boy, "I mean...why wouldn't I?"

Raven blinked once, then opened the door. "Come in," she said. "We need to talk."

Beast Boy was obedient, following his "wife" inside, and then following her lead and sitting on the bed for comfort. He wrung his hands for a couple seconds, then sighed. "I have to say in explanation that...I was sad and shocked and...that all made me angry. I wasn't really very angry at you, I know it seemed that way, but...I wasn't. I just..." and here he sighed.

"I understand..." murmured Raven. "And I probably didn't help...insulting the girl you love and all..."

"Yeah, I wasn't really serious about still being interested in her," admitted Beast Boy. "I was really...just trying to annoy you. It probably worked, too, huh?"

"Kind of," said Raven. "Though mainly it was your tone of voice."

"Yeah, I'm sorry for that too..." Beast Boy said. "And, you know, about the other thing I said...I still don't like the fact that you hate Terra, but I guess you're only human, after all..." He saw Raven's raised eyebrow. "No, seriously, just because your dad was a demon doesn't make you evil...we all know that...I can't believe I said that...I'm really sorry..."

Raven was silent for a bit before saying "Apology accepted..."

Beast Boy smiled, then giggled. "Sweet!" he said, shooting his arms into the air. "I'm forgiven!"

"You're welcome," said Raven. "And...sorry if this is personal or something, but...you're not into Terra anymore?"

"Well, I still love her, but I'm not in love with her," said Beast Boy. "I guess my relationship with her and my relationship with you are more similar than I thought in that area..."

"So you do love me then?" asked Raven, a bit of hope raising in her heart.

Beast Boy smiled. "Definitely. I mean, what's not to love?" He suddenly smirked. "Platonically, of course."

"Of course," Raven said. "I...love you too, Beast Boy...even though you annoy me more than any cricket I've ever met..."

"Hey!" said Beast Boy, but he was smiling as he said it. Raven suddenly bit her lip, and looked off to the side. Beast Boy understood immediately what was wrong. "Hey, it's cool," he said. "If you still don't think you're ready to talk about THAT, then that's okay."

Raven breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Beast Boy..."

"On one condition!"

_-Uh oh, here it comes...-_ Raven thought. "What is it?"

Beast Boy smiled a genuine smile. "You have to play that video game I was telling you about."

Raven blinked. "Um...oh, alright...fine. I'll play."

"Awesome!" said Beast Boy. "It's a portable game, so...I'll go get it!" and he ran off.

Raven sighed. _-What have I gotten myself into?-_ she thought.

**0 0 0**

"Um...wow," said Brave, a little confused at having her viewpoint changed so rapidly. "I...guess I was wrong about him..."

"HE SAID HE LOVES US!" shouted Affection, doing a cartwheel and then leaping repeatedly into the air. "WOO-HOO!"

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Stupid Cupid, he didn't mean it like that..." Rude said.

"I'm glad he said he was sorry," said Timid. "Forgiving people feels nice."

"Indeed," said Knowledge. Then ,she murmured: "Perhaps we should try to forgive Terra as well..."

"Well, Anger," said Wisdom, feeling a little smug that she had won as she turned, eyes closed, to the red-cloaked emotion. "It looks like we were unable to 'teach Beast Boy a lesson' after all. I suppose that you are feeling angrier than usual, hmm?" And she opened her eyes.

Anger wasn't there.

Anger was actually several feet away, having moved once she saw that she wasn't going to rally her fellow emotions into further wrecking Raven's relationship with Beast Boy. She was staring down at Happy, who was just starting to wake from her second nap in recent times. As Anger stared, her head was full of thoughts...

Stab.

Strangle.

Hang.

Disembowel.

A grave marked 'Happy'.

The destruction of Raven's Happiness.

Destruction of the world.

The paving of the way for demonkind to rule the world.

Anger shook slightly, although no one noticed...she didn't like all the thoughts she were having...they stirred something within her...something she didn't like...

Happy yawned, sitting up and blinking. She smiled a big smile. "Hi, Anger! Feeling any less down in the dumps today?"

"What do you think?" Anger responded, glad there was a distraction from her thoughts of ruin.

Happy giggled, then stood up, pretending to be a choo-choo train all the way to the circle of emotions. Anger, in turn, walked in the opposite direction, into the woods that represented Raven's uppermost mind, though ironically this was the place emotions had the least contact with Raven.

This, of course, meant that Anger left the meeting of emotions without permission, and Knowledge noticed.

**0 0 0**

A few minutes into the woods, Anger was having a conversation with herself...they say that's the first sign a person is insane.

"Maybe this is going too far..." she said to herself.

"No, no, no...It hasn't gone far enough..." she responded. "I haven't made Raven suffer, truly suffer yet...I need my revenge..."

She stopped and leaned on a tree. "Yes...revenge is a part of me, but...do I really need this much? It's not like Raven locked me up for no reason..."

Her eyebrows creased. "But she DID lock me up...for so many years...refused to acknowledge that I even existed!" She walked forward with new determination. "But now she'll be locked up...and I'LL be in control! I will have absolute power!"

She faltered slightly in her step. "But would that be for the best?"

She smirked. "Of course it would be! The best for me, anyway! Everyone else can go wherever Trigon went for all I care!"

She arrived at the Reflecting Pool, a place where, instead of seeing the outside world filtered through Raven's many mental barriers, they could see it directly through Raven's eyes and hear directly through Raven's ears...but an emotion could only look in and see something if Raven wasn't feeling any of that emotion at the moment. Anger peered in deeply.

"_Wait, wait, wait,"_ said the Raven in the pool, _"So the statue was really a clock?"_

"_Um, yeah!"_ said Beast Boy. _"Did you miss that while everyone was talking about it or something? And you make fun of me for being 'unable to read'..."_

"_Shut up..."_ responded Raven, tapping the screen with the stylus.

"Fools..." mumbled Anger softly. "All of them...soon all will tremble before me..." And with that bit of melodrama, Anger turned and walked away.

Well, she would have, except Knowledge was standing right there.

"What are you doing here?" Knowledge asked, arms crossed.

"I could ask you the same thing," said Anger a little defensively.

"I was checking up on you...YOU left the meeting without permission."

"You going to tattle on me to mommy or something?" Anger asked, trying to walk past Knowledge...Anger's Dimension was that way, after all. Knowledge moved to block her.

"I ask again: what are you doing here?" she said, stern look on face and all.

"Just checking out how lame Beast Boy's stupid game is, alright?" Anger said.

"Somehow or other, I'm not inclined to believe you," Knowledge said.

"Well, no one said that you had to," said Anger.

Knowledge narrowed her eyes. "I'm keeping my eyes on you, Anger..."

Anger suddenly smiled creepily. "Maybe that's for the best..." And in the stunned silence that followed, Anger wordlessly moved past Knowledge and began walking. Knowledge watched her for a while, then turned to the left and began walking as well.

The seeds of suspicion had taken root.

* * *

Deep, dark seeds indeed. Well, at any rate, notes:

"Although it was easier for me, because Rude happened to 'pop' one of my residual memories up to the surface somehow..."

Originally, Raven's "speech you gave me and Beast Boy" was just an educated guess, but apparently that was just a _bit_ too subtle for you guys...heh, just kidding. I like this way better anyway.

"A...defense attorney?"

The game I speak of in this chapter is Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney for the Nintendo DS, and it is stinking awesome. I must warn you, though: it's pretty much a visual novel, and it doesn't have much replay value...unless you like rereading good books, which I love. If you like using your brain to solve puzzles and mysteries, and you love to read, GET THIS GAME. And its sequels.

"That is a historical fact."

It seriously is. I have two whole books filled with facts like these and historically accurate, odd stories...and it's very funny, too. Go out and buy one of Uncle John's Bathroom Readers immediately.

"After Jinx was killed in a fight with Brother Blood..."

Suddenly a rather grim tone pervades the story. So, Kid Flash and Jinx are dead...why did I do this? Sometimes there is no reason for something to happen: it just does. Kid Flash's suicide, I'm willing to bet, seems a lot unlike him...well, that's only because it is. Or is it? It's been four years since the Kid Flash of the TV show, after all...people change. Tragedies happen to the people you least suspect. As the final episode makes clear...things change.

"But Terra isn't..."

I have nothing personal against Terra, so why did I choose to make her nonexistent? Everything will be revealed eventually...as for Raven's hatred of Terra...somehow or other, Raven always seemed like the type to hold a grudge, until an apology equivalent to the crime in some form or another appears...and apparently, being nearly beaten to death, killing your archnemesis so you don't have to, saving the remnants of a city and yourself from total destruction by a volcano just before being encased in rock wasn't redemption enough. What'cha gonna do, huh?

"Should I evacuate the city?"

In case this was a bit too subtle too, Starfire was referring to the fact that when Beast Boy and Raven have confrontations, things usually blow up.

"Um...oh, alright...fine. I'll play."

But you guys don't get to see! Too bad...in all seriousness, don't think this means Raven's going to start playing the 'button-mashing melee' kind of video games now...emphasis on the 'novel' in 'visual novel' when she plays, really. And now, and I'm not playing with you...

DISCLAIMER: Teen Titans does not belong to me. It belongs to DC Comics and Glen Murakami. The Ace Attorney series of video games also does not belong to me. It belongs to Capcom and Nintendo. The Uncle John's Bathroom Reader series does not belong to me either. It belongs to the BRI (Bathroom Readers' Institute). That all said, ahem...

God bless you all! And I'm promising, right here and right now, next week's update WILL be on time!


	7. Left Blank

NOTICE: Unfortuantly, due to extra-curricular activities at school all coming at once now, I will only be able to update twice a week until further notice. Very sorry...

At any rate, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

_-Hypocrite...-_

Raven flinched at the thoughts she was having.

_-He was right, you know...-_

She scrunched her face up and put her pillow over her head. She lay back down, wishing for sleep. A dreamless sleep, hopefully...

_-You think you can escape reality? Blame others for what you've done? You're pathetic.-_

Raven gritted her teeth. Where were these thoughts coming from? _-Why can't I get a hold of my emotions?- _she cried inside her head, wishing to know which emotions was the culprit.

Silence.

Sweet silence.

Raven breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally..." she said, closing her eyes more gently this time. Within a few seconds, she was asleep, pretending she'd never heard the voice inside of her speaking.

And meanwhile, inside her head...

**0 0 0**

**Raven's Head, Anger's Dimension**

**0 0 0**

Anger stood at the edge of her volcano, smirking. "That's right, Raven...slump deeper into the denial of your many, many sins..."But, despite her outer confidence, she was feeling a little...guilty. She tried to shake it off, but failed. "Ah...so what if what I'm doing isn't right?" Anger asked herself. "Not like I should even care..."

And she slowly walked down the side of the volcano, grumbling about life in general, overcompensating for that show of...humanity she had put on a few seconds ago.

And behind her, somehow managing to find a dark shadow even in the brightness of an active volcano, two red eyes stared at Anger as she walked down. They chuckled. _-You're the hypocrite, Anger...-_whatever-it-was thought. _-Talking about Raven as if you weren't in denial, too...-_ And with that, the red eyes slowly disappeared.

**0 0 0**

The next day.

Early morning.

Raven woke up. "Sunlight..." she murmured a little angrily. "One of these days I'm gonna remember to close those stupid curtains..."

She turned in her bed, and then started, but didn't scream. _-Still can't quite get used to that...-_ she thought as she got up, being careful not to disturb Beast Boy. She quickly put on her cloak, boots, and belt, checking the time as she did so. _-6:40?-_ she thought. _-Way too early...-_ Still, she headed for the shower, refusing to allow herself the luxury of sleeping in.

Then the alarm went off.

**0 0 0**

Nightwing stood in the common room, staring at the computer, which showed the governmental satellite on it. He was completely oblivious to the alarm sounds going on all around him...perhaps because he had been the one to set it off. The others came running in at approximately the same time, but Nightwing did not turn, choosing to continue staring at the computer monitor.

"Yo, man, what's up?" asked Cyborg. Nightwing slowly turned after this, shutting the alarm off on his way.

"I think," said Nightwing, then paused and rubbed his chin before continuing. "I..._think_ I know what happened with the satellite..."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense!" shouted Beast Boy. "I had to WAKE UP EARLY to answer that alarm! You know how hard that is for me!"

Nightwing looked at Beast Boy. "I'm honestly surprised you're up and about, and I don't think you should be...go back to bed."

"Wait, I didn't mean it like that," said Beast Boy. "I, I just meant...I'll be quiet."

"Miracles do happen..." Raven mumbled.

"As I was saying, and I want Beast Boy getting back in bed right after this..." Nightwing continued, "Another scan of the satellite was done recently...and it's defenses were never breached, but it was...altered."

"How is this possible?" asked Starfire.

"Nanotech," said Nightwing, as a microscopic portion of the satellite was zoomed in onto. A tiny, spider-looking robot was on it. "This was found upon much, much, MUCH closer inspection of the hull...the government has been sending me detailed reports on its inner workings, and I believe that a small group of these robots could take various types of minerals and electrical signals and, well, attack us with a giant laser, as it were..."

"So where are these nanobots now?" asked Raven.

"Well, besides the ion cannon," Nightwing said, "This satellite is equipped with a camera...and look what it just happened to pick up a couple of minutes ago..." With these words, the screen changed again. Outer space was everywhere on the monitor.

"Um..." said Beast Boy. "I...don't see anything." As if on cue, the picture suddenly froze in its orbit, zoomed into a specific point, and depixelated. "Wait, I think I see it now."

"I should hope so..." said Raven, a little stunned.

"That is one big spaceship..." said Cyborg.

"The Mezzoid Empire!" shouted Starfire.

Everyone looked at her. "Care to elaborate on that?" Raven asked.

Starfire nodded. "Several years ago, there was...an accident on the planet Mi'Nar. Mi'Nar was the technological center of the galaxy...they had made great leaps in the realm of artificial intelligence and weaponry."

"I'm guessing that they made their weapons too smart?" Cyborg asked.

"Precisely," said Starfire. "But the Mi'Narms had anticipated this. They created chips, to be placed inside all their robots, that served as suppressors to the robot's personalities, and also to their will if it happened to be created by accident...but, apparently, one of the chips malfunctioned, and its backup did as well. The computer in which those chips were located was the main processor, and with it doing what it wanted to instead of the Mi'Narms wanted it to...the Mi'Narms are now extinct now, I shall put it that way."

"Dang," said Cyborg, nicely summarizing the whole situation.

Starfire continued. "Once the Mi'Narmians had been destroyed, the original computer used their technology to try and conquer the universe...he announced this declaration on interplanetary television, warning that his Mezzoid Empire was coming to take them all over...at first, it seemed like he might succeed, but eventually, several races managed to push him back. Eventually, they were destroyed entirely...or so we thought." She paused to gulp. "He eventually came to Tameran, in a sneak attack...he attacked my people in the middle of the night and...several died. But we managed to drive him off and scatter his empire...eventually."

"So we're up against a super-intelligent robotic empire of doom?" Beast Boy asked fearfully.

"I...do not believe so..." said Starfire. "Most Mi'Narmian technology has been eradicated...but a few remnants of the Mezzoid Empire still exist...the main processor that started the empire is among those."

"Even so," said Nightwing. "This isn't good...we need to get up there, and fast, before this Mezzoid Empire launches a full-fledged assault."

"Alright!" said Beast Boy, leaping up and posing several times. "Time to kick bad guy butt!"

Nightwing's eyebrows creased. "No. Bed."

Beast Boy sighed. "Fine..."

**0 0 0**

Two hours later, preparations had been made, the team had been briefed by Starfire, and the Titans were ready to ship out. All that was left was...

...to wake up Beast Boy again, and tell him exactly what was happening.

"Anyone got any ideas?" asked Nightwing.

"Raven could kiss him," suggested Cyborg.

Raven started, but no one saw because she was standing slightly behind everybody. "Uh...I don't think that would work..."

"I do not believe so either..." said Starfire. "Truly, Beast Boy could sleep through a hurricane, yes?"

"It is true," said Nightwing. "In fact, I'm a little surprised that the alarm woke him up in the first place..."

"Got another idea!" said Cyborg. "And this one's genius!" With that, he bent down and whispered in Beast Boy's ear, then leaned back up.

Beast Boy suddenly shot straight up in bed. "They're doing WHAT to tofu products?" he shouted.

Cyborg blinked. "That wasn't what I said at all...": he mumbled, scratching his head. Nightwing ignored him, in order to brief Beast Boy.

"Alright, Beast Boy," he said, "We're headed up and out. I don't know when we'll be back, but it'll be a couple of hours at least. The soon-to-be Titans Europe should be here in about an hour to take over for us...until then, the police are breaking a few union rules and putting about three times the required guards on the prison...there should be no break-outs."

"Also, I've put the phone numbers for the doctor, the police station, and the national guard on the freezer," said Cyborg. "Make sure Jerry doesn't stay up past ten, and-YEOW!" he suddenly shouted, having been kicked in his metallic shin by Nightwing. Starfire giggled, and Nightwing grimaced slightly...he had just kicked _metal_, after all.

"At any rate, ignoring Cyborg's instructions, do you have all that?" Nightwing asked.

"Yeah, I think so," said Beast Boy.

"Good," said Nightwing. "Stay in bed, and we'll be back as soon as we possibly can. Try not to get into any trouble."

"You do realize who you're talking to, right?" asked Raven, raising an eyebrow. Beast Boy sulked slightly.

Starfire smiled slightly. "Goodbye, Beast Boy..." she said. "I hope you obtain wellness shortly..."

"Once again, what she said," said Cyborg, leaving the room with the others. The Titans all said their farewells, and then Beast Boy lay back on the bed.

_Whoosh._

Beast Boy looked up to see that Raven had just come in. "Raven?" he asked. "What are you..."

"I told the others I'd thought about it, and I figured you were probably well enough to kiss again," she said, then looked on the clock on the wall. "One...two...three...that should be long enough..." and with that, she turned, and...

"Four...five...six...seven..." Beast Boy continued counting. Raven turned and raised an eyebrow. Beast Boy finally stopped at twelve. "What, you think they're gonna believe you just stopped after six seconds when you haven't had the chance to kiss your husband in days?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Thinking rather highly of yourself, aren't you?" she asked, opening the door and walking out. Beast Boy smiled and leaned back on the bed again.

"Open sesame..." he murmured happily.

**0 0 0**

"Alright, Titans, is everyone ready?" Nightwing asked, sitting in the front-most cockpit of the T-ship.

"Affirmative," confirmed Starfire. "We are waiting and ready for the order!"

"Cyborg, thrusters!" Nightwing shouted.

Cyborg obeyed, flipping on the switch. The engines began to hum. "Thrusters activated!"

"Raven, right ballast! Starfire, left!" Nightwing said over the increasing roar of the engines. The two female Titans obeyed as well, flipping the switches that activated the rocket boosters.

"Check!" shouted Starfire gleefully...she always loved going up into space.

"And double check," confirmed Raven, really wishing she could just stay home and meditate a while.

"Alright, the coordinates have been set, and now, since Beast Boy isn't here..." and Nightwing coughed. "Nightwing! Throw the switch!" and Nightwing did so, the support beams falling away as the T-ship took off into the atmosphere, the roof opening in front of it as Nightwing did so.

"Was it really necessary to order yourself to do that?" asked Raven, raising an eyebrow.

"No," admitted Nightwing, "But it was kind of fun."

"You start getting' weird when you been up all night, man..." murmured Cyborg. Nightwing only chuckled in response.

And, unbeknowst to all of them, behind the ship's take-off, above the Jump City bay, floating a good hundred feet away from Titans tower, an imposing figure floated...

**0 0 0**

"Whoo! Yeah!" shouted Beast Boy, punching with his left and right fists as he watched the fight. "Hit him in the face, he's wide open...oh, come on, even I saw that opening! What are you thinking?"

A strong punch in the stomach sent O'Reily to the floor. "Folks, this looks like it could be it for the heavyweight champ!" shouted the announcer. "Is this the year for Jerred Hartman?"

"Come on, champ, get up..." murmured Beast Boy, watching the screen intently. "You way outclass that guy! Come on..."

Suddenly, a burst of white energy flew into the room. It flew straight into the open window, hitting the TV and spreading almost...like a liquid. Eventually, a blank white space was all that was left of the TV and the surrounding area, before time and space seemed to collapse slightly in order to fill in the gap of nothingess with air molecules and dust fragments...and a large hole in the wall leading into the next room. Beast Boy could only stare, wide-eyed.

"Now I'll never know who won..." Beast Boy mumbled to himself, a little angry at life. He stopped being angry and started being scared when he saw the figure hovering a good ten feet in front of his window.

It was a tall, broad-shouldered figure, a stereotypical male in shape...though its muscles were unseen, you got the impression from its size that it was strong. It looked vaguely like one of those mannequins you see in a department store, except for the fact that it was a much darker, yellowish-brown, and it had absolutely zero facial features. Although the figure was quite...disturbing in its look, it wasn't all that scary. So why was Beast Boy scared?

Another blast of white energy was headed straight for him.

Beast Boy jumped out of bed just in time, a good portion of the mattress being "erased". He tried to ignore the pain wracking his body as he ran out the door and upstairs, to the roof. He did a surprisingly good job, especially when you considered that threats of blasts of energy zooming by his head were is existence the whole time.

Finally, Beast Boy made it to the roof, opening the door and diving for cover. The figure took pause in its blasting to look down on Beast Boy...although, to be perfectly honest, you couldn't tell where it was looking...no eyes and all.

"Alright, whatever-you-are!" shouted Beast Boy, standing up from his hiding position. "Why are you trying to wreck my day off?"

The figure did not reply.

"Oh, the strong, silent type, huh?" Beast Boy asked, getting into a fighting stance. "Of course, I guess you don't have much of an option in that area when you don't have a mouth!" The thing threw another blast of white energy that Beast Boy barely dodged, and also barely avoided falling into the pool of nothingness it created before reality snapped back into shape. "Hey, I was just kidding...I know what it's like not to have a mouth!" Beast Boy shouted, dodging blast after blast until the roof looked like swiss cheese.

Finally, Beast Boy jumped off the roof, turning into a peregrine falcon on the way down. He massively dived, then dodged to the right, narrowly avoiding an overhand-tossed blast of erasure energy. He zoomed around the tower, then dodged another blast, rising above the thing at a diagonal angle, then diving hard and fast towards it. He turned into a triceratops after dodging one more blast, and...

...scrunched up in pain, slowing down his descent just enough that the figure managed to dodge. It then shot another blast straight down at Beast Boy.

Beast Boy barely dodged, transforming into a hawk just in time. He zoomed around the tower again, glancing back at the now-deleted water behind him, a little scared of what could happen in the next twenty minutes or so until Titans Europe got to Jump City.

**0 0 0**

Meanwhile, far above the earth's atmosphere, the T-Ship zoomed through space and towards the giant spaceship. "Alright, team," said Nightwing. "Prepare to take evasive action!"

Nothing happened.

"Um, did I miss something, or are they not firing at us?" asked Cyborg.

"Probably a trap," mumbled Nightwing just loud enough that the others could hear him. "Alright, team...land, insert the miniature oxygen capsules into your mouth, and be careful...anything could happen once we're on that ship." With that, the landing gears extended, and the Titans' hatches opened simultaneously. Gravity-enhancing boots allowed them to get on the ship without drifting off into space, but it was slow going.

In the vacuum of space, you can hear nothing, but you can still see. Nightwing signaled for the others to follow him closely, and they all nodded. After several seconds, they approached the gigantic door to the inner workings of the ship. All the Titans got on one side of the door. Nightwing drew out an explosive disk and attached it to the door's steel surface. He put up three fingers...put one down...put another down...

...the doors opened.

The Titans looked on in shock, and then Nightwing looked at the others as if to say "definitely a trap". Despite this, they all went in anyway...the Earth was in danger, after all. Still, they went in VERY cautiously.

After taking a few steps in, the doors suddenly closed behind the Titans, and several lights cameo n, illuminating the formerly dark room, which was just as cold and steel and heartless as the rest of the ship. Also, oxygen rapidly entered the chamber, making sure the Titans didn't have to breathe the stale but life-giving air of their capsules anymore.

"Can we leave?" asked Raven. "Blow the ship up from the outside or something?"

"I must agree with Raven's sentiments," said Starfire. "I believe the proper adjective one would use in describing this place is...creepy?"

"Sorry," said Nightwing, "But the T-Ship doesn't have that kind of firepower...we're gonna have to improve that, aren't we, Cyborg?"

"That would be the 'military we', right? As in, just me?" Cyborg asked.

"Exactly," said Nightwing, walking forward. The others followed him, Cyborg grumbling slightly.

**0 0 0**

Beast Boy made another loop around the tower, heading straight for the figure, which seemed to have lost track of him. Beast Boy flew in behind him, transformed into a gorilla, and slammed him into the water below before turning into a whale and dropping quickly for the follow-up.

The thing recovered in midair, then shot a large blast of energy straight up. Beast Boy turned his whale-face into a pterodactyl and the rest of his body simultaneously shot into said dinosaur. The dinosaur zoomed around the tower again, but this time the creature followed. It turned the corner after Beast Boy and was slammed into by the tail of a T-Rex, supported by the island around Titans' Tower. The figure was sent flying...

...straight into the city.

Beast Boy transformed back into his lovable human form. "YAH!" he shouted. "Not there! Anywhere but there!" And with that, he turned into a giant squid, diving into the water, then streamlining his body into that of a sea-serpent, reaching the city in record time. "Huh..." he murmured to himself once he'd changed back. "That's a new trick..." And once that was turned over in his mind, he focused back on the figure standing...well, rising back up from the smoldering crater he'd created when he fell...before him.

The thing got into a fighting stance, surrounding its hands with white energy.

Beast Boy got into a fighting stance, flinched with pain, and then turned into an ankylosaurus.

The citizens in the surrounding area ran screaming in terror.

**0 0 0**

Up in space, the Titans slowly walked down a long, metal (what else?) corridor, each in a various fighting stance. Finally, Cyborg stopped, not slowing anyone down because he was at the back.

"Okay, y'all, I'm starting to think those nano-bots were the last of this Mezzoid Empire...what if all this stuff is just...you know...automated?"

"Then the whole ship is alive, considering that all the tech on Mi'Nar was artificially intelligent," pointed out Nightwing.

Everyone was silent for a little bit. "Okay, that's just creepy," said Cyborg. "But even so, I'm thinking maybe we just start looking for a self-destruct button and get out of here already..."

"I'm all for that," said Raven.

"As am I," said Starfire. "This place is not likable at all..."

Nightwing thought for a bit. "I...really don't want to split up. We could get ambushed at any time."

"Um...Nightwing?" asked Starfire. "What is that behind your shoulder?"

Nightwing looked. "Um...an electrical wire? Why do you ask?"

"Because it just moved," said Raven with a perfectly straight face.

Nightwing looked again, his eyes now wide. The wire moved again, crackling with electrical energy. "I vote we get out of here." mumbled Nightwing. "This is getting a little too creepy."

"Tell me about it..." mumbled Cyborg. "I mean, with the prospect that at any moment one of us could be dragged off into the darkness and all-" Cyborg was interrupted when a thick wire slammed into and simultaneously wrapped around him, dragging him off into the darkness. "WOOOOOAAAH!" he shouted.

"CYBORG!" shouted Nightwing, just before an entire wall of wires sprung up in the area between Cyborg and the Titans, who proceeded to beat on the wall in hopes that there was still a chance to save their friend.

**0 0 0**

Beast Boy, now in jackrabbit form, nimbly dodged around a couple of blasts, which erased the bottom part of a nearby lamppost, the door of a car, and two windows in two skyscrapers. "Come on, dude!" Beast Boy shouted. "Don't you have any other moves?" As if in response, the figure shot a wave of energy towards Beast Boy, who front-flipped, kangaroo style, behind the thing. Just as it turned around, a rhino sent it spiraling onto the coastline. Beast Boy changed back again. "That'd be a no," he mumbled.

The figure got up quickly, and then flew into the air, gathering a massive amount of energy in his hands. He sent it forth as a beam. Beast Boy dodged the slow-moving attack effortlessly, transforming into a cheetah, running underneath the eraser, and transforming, once again, into a T-Rex. The figure was head-butted several feet through the air. Beast Boy changed back again. "Hah! Had enough?"

Suddenly, an intense wave of pain shot through the changeling's body. His eyes dilated, he hunched over, crossing his arms and pressing them to his stomach, and was sent to the ground in pain. He couldn't even cry out, the pain was so severe.

The creature, seeing its opportunity, slowly floated closer in towards Beast Boy. Beast Boy looked up, sweat and agony apparent on his face. The figure stopped in midair, hovered for a few seconds, and then lifted one palm, bending his arm just enough so Beast Boy could clearly see the spherical ball of energy form in the thing's hand. The being reared back, as if it was throwing a baseball with one hand, started to move his arm forward, and...

...was hit in the head by a pipe. The figure was momentarily stunned, and his throw was sent off-center, hitting the water several feet to the left of Beast Boy. The green shapeshifter flinched at the shockwave, but was otherwise unharmed...which was more than could be said about the reality several feet to the right of him.

The figure turned to see what had hit him. It was a little boy, about the age of twelve. He was a pale boy, with dark glasses and yellow-spiked hair. He was wearing a white t-shirt, a red and blue racing jacket, and the male answer to go-go boots, colored black and a very light purple. But the most noticeable thing of all about this boy was that he was in a wheelchair. "Hey, you big jerk!" he shouted. "Leave him alone!"

"Dude..." said Beast Boy, recovering remarkably quickly, all things considered. Not that he would be recovered fully in time to stop the thing from attacking. "You...you have to go...he might attack you next..."

Beast Boy's words rang true as the figure shot a quick, one handed blast directly at the little boy, who sat and watched, smirking, as the blast rocketed towards him...

**0 0 0**

"Gyah! Hah! Huh! Hah!" shouted Nightwing, finally managing to drive his bo staff through the wall of wires. He widened the hole he had made, then dove through, the other two following him. "CYBORG!" he shouted.

"Please tell us you are alright, friend!" shouted Starfire, looking around desperately.

"Cyborg? Where are you?" asked Raven, concerned as well, though she tried not to show it.

"Cyborg isn't here," said a mechanical voice, as Cyborg stepped out from the shadows. "I am all that is left..." and Cyborg looked up...

...both his mechanical eye and his un-mechanical eye were glowing a bright blue.

Starfire gasped. "Woah..." said Raven.

"After years of striking terror throughout the galaxy," said he-who-should-have-been-Cyborg, "The great and powerful Mezzoid Empire was reduced to almost nothing...only a swarm of nano-bots, a barely-running spaceship, and the great and noble king ZANA...we would never last."  
"I'm assuming you are ZANA, then?" asked Nightwing, now angry.

"Correct..." said ZANA, smirking. "And I must say, using up my last swarm on that satellite and your friend was...well worth the effort..." and he chuckled. "I must say, I'll have to get used to these human emotions...still, I think I'll keep them...it certainly explains why you humans advance so rapidly..."

"You think humans advance rapidly?" asked Nightwing.

"That's certainly a first for an evil alien overlord..." murmured Raven.

"That is not an opinion, that is an analyzed fact," said the evil being. "And I am not one to shut my eyes to facts...though you humans are currently quite primitive, you are one of the fastest growing civilizations in the universe...your time from first heavier-than-air flight to your first trip to one of your orbiting moons was a mere 66 of your years, compared to the Mi'Narm's second-place record of 103 of your years...at the rate you humans drive forward, you'll be the leading galactic race within ten generations."

"Wow," said Raven, "We're advanced."

Nightwing ignored the witty banter prompted by the situation and tried to focus on getting Cyborg back. "Come on, Cyborg, fight! I know you're in there!"

"Oh, Cyborg's in here," agreed ZANA, "But he's been shut off. We've made sure of that...of course, you can switch him back on, if you manage to extract me from his system somehow..." Suddenly, all the lights in the room went off. Energy came from everywhere, and gathered around ZANA ,who absorbed all of it. Cyborg's feet suddenly shot out small beams of energy that propelled him into the air, and then shot him forward. "But I doubt you can do that!"

**0 0 0**

The beam shot forward at a rapid pace. Beast Boy could only stare in horror as it flew forward, forward towards an innocent twelve-year-old with no means of defense...

The boy suddenly reared back, tilting at a perfect ninety-degree angle. He spun around, allowing his momentum to carry him out of the range of the blast. He skidded to a stop as he slammed his wheels back down, and when he stopped he was facing the creature, smirking still.

...no _apparent_ means of defense was a little closer to the truth.

Beast Boy and the creature gaped...well, it can be assumed that the creature was gaping. The kid spoke up. "You think that was awesome, wait until you see this!" and he raised his left hand slightly, wrist still on the arm of his wheelchair. A small panel opened up, and the boy pressed a button inside of it. The wheelchair suddenly started to whirr, and the wheels just as suddenly split in half, still attached to the wheelchair's sides at a single point at the very top of the vertical split. Both halves of each wheel rested gently on the ground as the sides of the wheelchair extended...they almost looked like legs and feet, the sides and wheels. Simultaneously, two hunks of metal folded out from behind the kid's wheelchair, then folded again until they were horizontal. Two arms, fingers and all, extended out from the hunks...now the bottom half really looked like two legs. The handles in the back of his wheelchair suddenly stood straight up, and a bit of metal extended from the top of them to the bottom part of the plastic part of them. A small lever and some more buttons appeared on the latch near the boy's left hand, and he pressed another button. The hands of his wheelchair reached back and drew the handles out from the wheelchair, which then extended into to sabers, Nightwing bo staff style. The boy moved the lever with two fingers, pressing a button with his pinky. The wheelchair got into a fighting stance, crossing its sabers. "Meet my custom-designed machine: The Gauntlet!"

There was a long silence.

Beast Boy shot his thumb into the air, smiling. "AWESOME!"

**0 0 0**

ZANA rammed into Nightwing, sending him flying, then turned and fired his sonic cannon at Starfire. A beam of orange energy instead of blue came out, but that really wasn't the concern as Starfire was blasted across the room as well. Raven surrounded the tyrant in black energy and tossed him into the wall as well, but he managed to break out, then zoomed forward, energy-punching as he went. Raven barely dodged, and then Nightwing came back and kicked ZANA in the chin. "Sorry about this, Cyborg," said Nightwing, before drawing his bo staff and swinging it towards his friend/enemy.

ZANA blocked with his right arm and countered with his left, a punch downwards. Nightwing leapt over, but ZANA drove his heel into Nightwing's stomach. Raven tried throwing one of the deactivated computer consoles towards ZANA, but he dodged easily, smirking. "Pathetic...you all truly are path-OOMPH!"

Starfire had slammed into ZANA. "How shall we stop him?" she asked. "Obviously he is not fighting at his full power yet, but...neither are we! How can we fight when we are fighting our friend?"

"The eternal question..." murmured Raven. "Kind of, anyway..."

"Just knock him out," said Nightwing. "If we're truly as advanced as he says we are, then we shouldn't have any problem removing ZANA from Cyborg."

"Oh, really?" asked that cold, mechanical voice, as ZANA flew forward, trying to kick Nightwing in the head. Nightwing ducked, then brought his bo staff up. ZANA grabbed it, but then was knocked away by a blast of black and green energy.

"He...isn't fighting at his best...right?" asked Starfire.

"I...think so..." said Nightwing. "I mean...he's an evil, robotic dictator who's taken over Cyborg. By all accounts, he should be kicking our butts, and yet..."

"It's like we're ganging up on a flying Cyborg," finished Raven.

As if in response, ZANA flew back in, punching the ground hard. A shockwave was sent through it, but it wasn't nearly enough to reach the floating Starfire and Raven, and Nightwing merely jumped over it and slammed ZANA over the head. ZANA stumbled back.

"I...I'll destroy you all!" he said, now running forward. Nightwing actually managed to stop him by placing a palm on his forehead, then punching him in the jaw with the other hand. ZANA fell to the ground, groaning. The other Titans walked over, standing over him.

"So, is the battle over?" asked Raven.

"I believe it is...?" said Starfire uncertainly.

"Well, at any rate..." began Nightwing, before suddenly an alarm went off.

"Self destruct sequence activated," said a computerized voice.

"I thought he'd absorbed all the energy in the ship?" asked Raven.

"Maybe just in the room...?" said Nightwing. "Well, anyway, let's get out of here...Starfire, take care fo Cyborg."

Starfire nodded, then picked up Cyborg. She followed the others in running towards the exit.

**0 0 0**

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Beast Boy and the boy, who shall from here on in be called "The Gauntlet" after his machine, dodged yet another beam from the figure. Obviously, Beast Boy was feeling better, though he didn't know how long until his next "attack" would set in.

The Gauntlet suddenly turned, dashed forward with the aid of a small rocket pack at the bottom of the chair, and slashed his swords across the creature's chest. The being stumbled back, then was hit with another flurry of sword slashes that sent it to the floor.

"Had enough?" asked The Gauntlet.

In response, the figure suddenly punched upwards, the energy around his hand ripping through reality as he went. The Gauntlet barely managed to dodge. "Take that as a no!" shouted Beast Boy, running forward, transforming into a wolverine, and attempting to maul the creature. The thing dodged, then shot a beam at the skidding Beast Boy, who transformed into a cheetah and ran at the last second. The Gauntlet tried another slash from behind, but this time the being dodged, then turned and blasted a beam of energy.

The Gauntlet was long-gone by then, however, having anticipated a counter-attack. He was up on top of a building, smirking that smirk of his. "What's the matter? Upset you're getting beat up by a kid in a wheelchair?" The figure responded with another blast, which The Gauntlet effortlessly dodged. He landed on the ground with a thud. "Now, how do you want me to beat you up nex-" he started, but stopped when he turned and the creature was standing right there, about to fire off another blast. Beast Boy, now a gorilla, ran by just in time, grabbing The Gauntlet and dragging him aside.

"Okay, superhero rule number one!" said Beast Boy, changing back once he had set down The Gauntlet. "NEVER freeze during a fight...especially when lasers are pointed at your head!"

"Got it," said The Gauntlet. Suddenly, another blast ripped through their conversation. Beast Boy dodged left, and The Gauntlet dodged right. They looked at each other.

"Got any ideas on how to stop this guy?" asked Beast Boy.

"Absolutely none," replied The Gauntlet.

"Sounds good!" shouted Beast Boy, dodging another blast. "Let's do it!" And he ran towards the thing who was wreaking havoc on Jump City.

"The newspapers say that's how you got hurt in the first place!" The Gauntlet shouted. Then he sighed. "And here I thought my debut into the superhero business would be a bit more glamorous..." he mumbled, before chasing after Beast Boy and dodging another blast.

**0 0 0**

"Alright, Titans..." said Nightwing, the debris from the exploded spaceship drifting through space behind him. "We're ahead of schedule, but Cyborg is...well, incapacitated, to say the least. So we should be home within...a couple of hours."

A short silence.

"Something's going horribly wrong, isn't it?" asked Raven.

"How much you wanna bet?" asked ZANA. Starfire gasped as a mechanical hand broke through the glass dome separating Cyborg's cockpit from outer space. "Alright! Now either you Titans surrender and agree to become my warriors in the conquering of Earth, or I'll take the oxygen capsule out my mouth, effectively killing your best friend!"

Starfire gasped again. "A truly devilish tactic!" she said, now very angry.

ZANA laughed evilly. "Ha ha ha! There is now NO WAY that you Titans could possibly defeat me! MWAHAHA-gumph?" Raven had sat ZANA back down in his seat, holding him there with her dark energy...and his mouth. Definitely his mouth.

"It is slightly depressing to see that the ruler of the once-great Mezzoid Empire is unworthy of battling," said Starfire.

"Nice job, Raven," said Nightwing, keeping focused on the main goal.

"Do I have to keep him pinned down like this the whole trip?" asked Raven.

"Probably," said Nightwing, pushing forward on the thrusters.

"...crud."

**0 0 0**

Beast Boy leapt into the air, now a gorilla, and landed hard. The being dodged backwards and shot another blast before attempting a right hook. The gorilla dodged, then grabbed the being's arm, making sure to stay clear of the white energy. He punched the being in the stomach, then picked it up and held it over his head. The Gauntlet leapt into the air as well, doing a front-flip and stabbing his swords into the thing halfway through, then tossing it off with the rest of the flip.

The being skidded, but remained on its feet. Its stab wounds healed instantly, and it raised its hand to blast again. The Gauntlet ducked under the blast, and then Beast Boy leapt over it, now a tiger. The tiger raked its claws across the thing's chest. The scratch marks healed instantly, but the momentum kept it going until it skidded into a lamppost.

The Gauntlet put his sabers away and ran forward just as the thing was looking up. He punched the creature in the face several times, then grabbed its right shoulder with his left hand. He punched the thing in the jaw HARD. The thing fell, but was caught by the hand on the shoulder. The Gauntlet set his foe back up, then punched him again. He repeated the process once more, then tossed the thing behind him. "All yours, BB!" shouted The Gauntlet. Beast Boy smirked, cracked his fingers, and fell to the ground in pain.

The thing stopped in midair after having gone far past Beast Boy. It slowly rose, creating a giant ball of energy in its hands...it clearly intended to finish the fight _now_...Beast Boy looked up, then stood up. "No way you're throwing that...too many people will be...gah..." and he clutched his stomach, then looked up.

The Gauntlet threw one of his swords, which in turn stabbed the whatever-it-was through the chest. The thing reared back, accidentally throwing the energy ball backwards as it did. The energy ball took out quite a bit of coastline, but no one was hurt.

The thing reached to the sword and pulled it out, a black substance dripping off the sword...the creature's equivalent of blood? At any rate, the wound healed as soon as the sword was pulled out. The being slowly deleted the sword it held, then pumped energy around its hands, ready for battle. Beast Boy and The Gauntlet each got ready as well.

A sudden burst of electrical energy shot through the air, striking the creature. It went through the agony: writhing, clutching hands to head, slowly floating to the ground as electrical energy coursed...but it didn't scream. It was kind of expected, but also kind of worth mentioning. Beast Boy and The Gauntlet turned to see...

"Kilowatt! Argent!" said Beast Boy, then looked at the third figure. "Slag!" he guessed.

"Hello, Beast Boy," said the figure in a gurgling voice. Apparently, Beast Boy's guess had been correct. Slag had the same type of costume Hotspot had, but a deeper red. He seemed to be made entirely of slowly flowing rocks and magma, but he somehow managed to avoid looking like a stereotypical lava monster...it was his eyes. They weren't orange, glowign eyes...in fact, they were a bright blue, normal pair of human eyes. Wise looking eyes. "Feeling better?"

"Um...sure. Let's go with that," said Beast Boy, giving his usual grin. Everyone present smiled, until Argent suddenly stopped.

"Hold on, love..." she said. "Got to deal with Blank, first..." and with that, she formed a giant clamp, made of her signature red energy in solidified form, and used it to send the thing, which apparently was named Blank, into a skyscraper. Slag followed with a spray of magma that solidified around the clamp, forming a nice, neat little prison for Blank even once the red energy disappeared. "Well, then that's that...how have you been, Beast Boy?"

"I can't complain," said Beast Boy, noticing the changes in Argent over the years. She was wearing her red hair short now, with a dyed stripe of black going through it. She had traded in her old outfit for a red, sleeveless shirt. It covered her belly button, but not the rest of her abs, forming a v as the shirt's end. She also wore tight-but-not-skintight black pants. Her boots remained unchanged, except for their size. Speaking of size, she had grown in all the rights ways: more muscular, more feminine, and more...tall. Though not by too awful much.

"You'll have plenty of complaining to do tomorrow after battling in that condition, believe you me..." Kilowatt mumbled, smiling all the way. He had gotten more muscular and taller too, but had not lost his signature outfit...though he was wearing a wedding ring. Apparently Beast Boy wasn't the only one...

"Wow..." murmured the kid behind Beast Boy...you couldn't really call him 'The Gauntlet' anymore, considering his wheelchair was now back to normal. "You're the..well, you're going to be the...the Titans Europe! I got to meet you guys and Beast Boy, and I got to kick some bad guy butt! How sweet is this!"

"Um...yeah, I didn't quite catch your name...?" asked Beast Boy.

"Oh, um, my name's Tyler!" said, well, Tyler. "I...wow. I've always thought you Titans were so awesome...I wanted to be just like you guys!"

"Well, you did a pretty good job saving my butt...thanks," said Beast Boy.

"How'd you get all this stuff, anyways, um...Tyler, was it?" Kilowatt asked.

"That's right...yeah, I'm kind of a child genius, at least according to my IQ test scores..." blushed the kid, trying to be modest. "But, really, I'm only good with finance and technology...math, history, science, don't really get those. But I make a lot of money in the stock market! I customized my wheelchair all by myself...isn't that awesome?"

"Very much so," said Argent. "You could grow up to be a great Titan!"

"Although I'm not entirely sure I like a twelve-year-old fighting on the front lines against maniacal supervillains..." mumbled Slag.

"Hey, if it wasn't for that kid, I'd be dead right now, that's all I'm saying," said Beast Boy.

"He makes a point," said Argent. "Oh, Kilowatt, what are you doing?" she asked.

Kilowatt was standing over near the spot Blank had been imprisoned in. "I'm just wondering why the dude doesn't start erasing reality again and getting out..." he wondered.

"Unconscious is my guess," said Slag. "We'd better get him in police custody quick before he wakes up."

Beast Boy gave a sigh of relief. _-So ready to go home...-_ he thought.

* * *

And that would be where the chapter ends! Well, for now, anyway...I'll be editing it to add more info sometime tomorrow, but until then...the chapter version 1.0, on time as promised! Truly, I feel this chapter could end where it is, but imagination gives me more ideas, and time restraints keep me from going further...well, at least you get author's notes. 

"Nanotech," said Nightwing."

Originally, I was going to have one of Upgrade's (see: TV series Ben 10) species threatening the Titans, but then I thought that that would stray into the realm of crossover, which I didn't want...so I made up something similar, but different.

"Alright, Titans, is everyone ready?"

I realize this is NOT the way the Titans lift off AT ALL...but I couldn't (read: didn't want to) check and see what they really did do...I'll edit it eventually, but if you want me too sooner, leave the approximation in a review, or PM, or something.

"It was a tall, broad-shouldered figure, a stereotypical male in shape..."

Ah, Blank, the second Titans' villain I ever made up...feel free to use him in your own story on two conditions. One, give credit to me. Two, he can't talk. Ever. He has no mouth.

"Hey, I was just kidding...I know what it's like not to have a mouth!"

(See Episode: Fractured.)

"I'm assuming you are ZANA, then?"

The name of the evil overlord is one letter off and is pronounced in exactly the same way as XANA, the evil AI from Code Lyoko. Consider this a tribute...although, in retrospect, I probably should have made the tribute a little tougher, considering he was a tribute, and all...

"That is not an opinion, that is an analyzed fact."

The idea of humans being one of the most primitive, but also the fastest-advancing race in the galaxy comes from the _Animorphs_ book series. It is an excellent series, though the books are a little hard to find nowadays, at least in my opinion. Still great, though.

"You think that was awesome, wait until you see this!"

I've imagined a wheelchair doing this in some way or another for eight years or so now...it truly is an awesome feeling to be able to write it out. By the way...you CAN'T use Tyler in your fan fiction. Even if you give me credit. The little dude is MINE.

...sorry, inner fangirl, thinks he's cute...in stuffed animal way, not dating way. At any rate, don't use him...I kinda like the little guy just being mine...though you can use Slag, gimme credit.

"He...isn't fighting at his best...right?"

Why make an evil, robotic, mind-controlling dictator a lousy fighter? Because, when you think about it, it makes sense. He's never had a real body before. He's always had people to fight for him. And he's fighting the Titans. Besides all that, it just kind of happened as I was writing it down...originally, he was gonna be really, really powerful, but then he started fighting...and I realized how easily he was getting his butt kicked by the Titans. So I decided to run with it. And I'll probably ru nwith this for the rest of my life...

DISCLAIMER: Teen Titans does not belong to me. It belongs to DC Comics and Glen Murakami. Ben 10 also doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Man of Action and Cartoon Network. Code Lyoko also does not belong to me. It belongs to Taffy, a division of Moonscoop, and somewhat to Cartoon Network. Finally, _Animorphs _does not belong to me. It belongs to K. A. Applegate and to Scholastic. That all said...

God Bless You All!


End file.
